Ice Curse 2: Pookan Bane
by Mistress Taru
Summary: Two years have gone by since the ice curse was broken, yet the people of Santoff Claussen don't see Bunnymund as their hero, they only see him as a beast. The Pooka wants to learn why with the help of his husband, Prince Jackson. JackRabbit rated for sex, language & violence disclaimer: I don't own ROTG
1. Chapter 1

Ice Curse 2: Pookan Bane

Chapter 1

:::

"Oh, I just loved Spain!"

"I'm shocked ya didn't melt. How 'bout July's home, eh?"

"It was awesome! Her technology is so far ahead of ours!"

"Those motor vehicles of hers sure are somethin'." E. Aster Bunnymund and Prince Jackson chatted about their adventurous honeymoon while walking through the city gates of Santoff Claussen. They were able to travel expediently due to an heirloom borrowed by the Pookas: an amulet that gives the user the ability to make tunnels to wherever he wants to go simply by tapping his foot twice. "I'm gonna have to give this back to my Mother eventually." Bunny looked down at the green gem around his neck.

The prince was hardly paying attention. All the townsfolk had come to greet them – well, _him_ – as they walked down the street. Jack waved and said hello to everybody that he could. "Hey, Prince Jack!" A brown-haired kid came up to his highness.

"Hey, Jamie!" Jack ruffled the kid's hair. "I betcha can't wait for winter, huh?"

"I'm gonna win the snowball fight again, you'll see!" Jamie smiled big. "My sister wants to play too, but she's still too little." Bunny and Jack looked over at Jamie's little sister. She had ragged blonde hair and big wondering eyes that were staring right at the giant rabbit. He didn't know if she was scared or fascinated. Bunny decided to wave at her, and she smiled, about to walk up to him until her mother pulled her back and whispered 'don't go near it.' The rabbit pretended not to hear and continued walking with his husband as he said goodbye to Jamie.

The Pooka had to do a lot of ignoring as they walked down the main street. His sensitive ears could hear the praises of his prince and the disapproval for himself.

"Why would that precious boy marry a flea-ridden thing like that?"

"If he's gay, he could have at least married a man…"

"Those things are evil. They're nothing but animals!"

"The prince doesn't deserve a _beast_." It's been two years since the break of the curse on the prince. The evil wizard, Pitch Black, was still encased in ice, never to hurt Jack ever again. Bunny had broken the ice curse with his kiss, proving their true and eternal love.

However, the people of this city still did not accept this, not after two years or even after their marriage. There has been a long-standing prejudice towards Pookas, but the giant rabbits aren't sure why. Many battles were lost to the Pookas, suffering many casualties from rifles and forest fires and soon becoming endangered. Soon after meeting Bunnymund, King North passed a law stating that humans can no longer harm or kill Pookas, but the law doesn't say anything about not continuing to hate them. So much hate, but for what reason?

They finally arrived to the front of the palace, where King North and Queen Toothiana met them at the top of the stone stairs. "Mother, Father!" Jack flew up the stairs and hugged his parents. Bunny ran up behind.

"Your highnesses." Bunny bowed politely; even after two years he still felt like he needed to do that with his new in-laws.

"Klasno!" North exclaimed. "It is good to see my boys again!"

"How was your trip?" Toothiana fluttered excitedly. "Tell us all about it!"

"My dear, let's get to the dinner table first." The king laughed. "I'm sure they're hungry!"

"You bet!" Jack and Bunny followed the king and queen to the dining area. "So, has anything changed since we left?"

"Nothing much, except…" North's voice became serious. "There have been disappearances from a village in the east. Many people have gone missing."

"Disappearances?" Bunnymund questioned. "Have you sent soldiers? Should I…?"

"Yes, I've sent detectives and soldiers, and no, you don't need to do anything." North already knew what Bunny would say. "You must rest after a long trip. Stay with my son."

"Right, your highness." Bunny's nose twitched. He couldn't help his warrior spirit, but he knew his job was to be the prince's escort, not a general.

"Yeah Bunny, who's gonna help me relax if you leave my side?" Jack grinned while sticking out his tongue.

"Don't act like that in front of your parents!" The Pooka whisper-shouted, his big ears pinned to his head. Jack just laughed, sneaking a quick kiss on Bunny's cheek.

:::

After dinner and telling the king and queen about their adventure, the newlyweds headed to their bedroom, a nice hot bath awaiting them in the new adjacent bathroom. It was a wedding gift from Jack's parents. "Hey, the bathroom's done!" Jack said happily. "And look, your latest painting's hanging on the wall." Bunny painted a portrait of he and Jack at their wedding.

"The walls in here are littered with my paintings." Bunny looked around the bedroom at all the work he's done for Jack in the past two years. "Do they all need to be in here? Some could go in the study or something…"

"Hey, they're _my_ paintings now, so I can do what I want with them." Jack smirked, beginning to undress. "Let's get in before the water gets cold."

"When you get in it _will_ be cold." Bunny took a quick second to observe his husband's adult body. The young man was now twenty and slightly taller and more muscular than he was two years ago (he had the Pooka to thank for those muscles since they trained hard together). His gorgeous face was more angular and his white hair was soft and long, falling to his shoulders when he took the bow out. His blue eyes were still big, beautiful and full of childlike mischief. He was breathtaking… and Bunnymund grinned possessively. He shook his head, getting rid of dirty thoughts. "It's good to be home, huh?" He began to take his wrist guards off.

"Do you feel at home here?" The prince asked seriously. Bunny paused, not expecting the tone to change so suddenly. _What's this about?_ "I'm not deaf, you know. I heard what some of those people said about you… I could have said something but I know you wouldn't like it…"

"It's alright." The Pooka continued removing his wrist guards, setting them on the vanity. "I'm used to it. You don't have to worry about it."

"Not worry about it?!" Jack put his hand on Bunny's fluffy shoulder. "How can I not? I'm the prince of Santoff Claussen, and my people don't respect my husband, who is also _the_ savior of this kingdom… do you know how much that angers me?!" Bunny's eyes widened. He never saw Jack get this upset about the matter before. "They should be - at the very least - worshipping you!"

"First of all, mate, all I did was kiss you. You're the one who froze the evil wizard in ice, remember?" Bunny was humble about his fight with Pitch. "Second of all, we had this talk before. Ya can't force people to like ya. If you ordered them to treat me with respect, they'd hate me even more. I'd have to earn their respect myself."

"Weren't you going to do that with the walking eggs?" Jack went to the tub and stepped in slowly. "How're they coming along?"

"I still don't have enough, mate." Bunny explained. He had a small conservatory made for his walking egg flowers in the castle, and he nursed them everyday. He taught a yeti how to care for them when he was away. "They take a long time to pollinate. It might take another year."

"Urgh… I want them done now…" Jack dropped in the bath, creating a big splash and burning his sensitive skin.

"Dammit, Jack!" Bunnymund turned away from the loose water. "Even though you're twenty, ya still act like a brat!" Jack ignored him, blowing bubbles in the water with his mouth. The rabbit sighed, getting in the tub and sitting opposite his mate. "I'm grateful that you feel this way, ya whacker. And as for your first question…" He rubbed the young man's reddened arms gently. "Home is wherever you are, love." He picked up Jack's chin out of the water and kissed his lips heatedly. They pulled away, looking deep into each other's eyes.

"I just don't understand why people hate Pookas so much." Jack couldn't let it go. "What did Pookas ever do to humans?"

"That… that is something I'd like to know, too." Bunny grabbed a tube of soap and squeezed some in his paw. "What was your general knowledge of Pookas before you met me, mate?" He rubbed the soap all over Jack's body.

"Uh, well…" Jack always had a hard time thinking when Bunny touched him. "All I knew was that Pookas were giant talking rabbit creatures that lived in the woods and were endangered. I wasn't raised to hate them, since my parents aren't originally from this kingdom." Bunny was already told of the king and queen's origins: North was a bandit from Russia and Toothiana was a princess from the land of Punjab Hyloo. "But wait, you're telling me you don't know why humans hate you?"

"We don't have a clue." Bunny shook his head, rinsing his husband off. "We never recorded our history; it was only passed down orally. There's so much we don't know, like where we came from, what started the hate, or even where the other tribes are…"

"There are other tribes?" This was news to Jack. "Can't you find them with that amulet?"

"The way that thing works is knowing the exact address of where you're going." The Pooka explained, getting the shampoo next and rubbing it through Jack's thick hair. "Besides, we never had a drive to find them. We parted ways with them long ago because we argued with them."

"Well, maybe now's the time to meet up with them again." Jack closed his eyes so Bunny could rinse his hair.

"It's as good a time as any." Bunny replied. "I need to talk with my family about it." It was Bunny's turn to get scrubbed.

"This is kind of a dumb question, but have you ever asked a human why they hate you?" Jack took the shampoo and squirted it all over the fuzzy body.

"Not exactly, but I have heard the weird things they say about us." Bunny's ears lowered as he was bathed by his prince. "They say we're evil shape shifters that transform into six-armed beasts and rip humans apart. No Pooka can transform. We don't have any powers at all! If we did, don't you think we could defend ourselves better?"

"Why would people say those things about Pookas if it wasn't true?" Jack was confused.

"We have been questioning that for as long as we can remember, mate." Bunny sighed. "Since there's so much we don't know about ourselves, we can't help but think that… maybe they're right, in a way."

"So you think you used to be beasts, but you can't remember?" Jack rinsed him off.

"Exactly." The Pooka replied. "But then, how did we change?"

"The Man in the Moon." Jack said with certainty. "He might have had something to do with it." Bunnymund only shrugged. He wasn't sure if he believed in such a man, even though his husband believed so fervently. Jack believes the Man in the Moon gave him his powers and guided him in using them for the right purpose. "Hey, I have an idea." The prince broke the silence. "Let's go to my father's library tomorrow and see if there are any books about Pookas."

"That is a good idea, love." The rabbit stepped out of the tub and shook the water off his fur. "Maybe we can find out where the other Pookas live, too." He handed Jack a towel as he got out of the water.

"This is sounding like another epic adventure." Jack smirked, wiping himself dry.

"If it is, does that bother you?" Bunny asked. "I know we just got home, but…" He was silenced by a kiss.

"Don't be ridiculous." The prince said against furry lips. "I'm always up for an adventure, and like you said, home is wherever you are."

"Good onya, Frostbite." Bunnymund kissed his love again, wondering to himself how he ever lived without Jack.

:::

**A/N**: I'm back bitches! Still unemployed, still bored, and still in love with JackRabbit! There certainly was a lot of exposition in this first chapter; if anyone has any questions, feel free to ask!

Taru-chan


	2. Chapter 2

Ice Curse 2: Pookan Bane

Chapter 2

:::

_Bunnymund strolled down the main street of the city, noticing that the people were looking at him with a confused look. Very soon after, their expressions turned into fear, screaming and running away for their lives. The Pooka didn't understand. He saw the little blonde girl cowering in fear, backing herself to a wall._

"_Hey, it's alright, I won't hurt you." Bunny reached his paw out to her, but she ran away crying. "What's going…?" He looked down at his paws, noticing that they were bigger and sharper-clawed and… that he had six of them. "No…" How is this possible? He heard battle cries in front of him, seeing an army of soldiers running towards him._

"_The King has banished you, beast!" One of them shouted._

"_No, wait! I won't hurt anybody! I don't even understand what's going on!" Bunnymund pleaded, but the soldiers weren't hearing it. They kept chanting 'Exile, exile', getting closer with their swords. Bunny decided to run, galloping through the fields on all arms and legs, until it was only the giant red Moon that was following him. He found himself running to his tribe's Warren. "Mother! Sisters and brothers!" He cried as they came into sight. "What's going on? Why do I look like this?"_

"_So we can be more powerful, ya little whacker!" Bunny's mother said with an evil grin. "Now that we have it, we won't let humans hurt us anymore!" She and the other Pookas started to transform also._

"_No, don't do this, Mother!" Bunnymund shouted._

"_Don't act like you didn't want this power from the beginning, brother!" Bunny's brother Bergamot said. "After all, you're like us now! And so are our sister tribes!"_

"_What?" Bunny looked behind him and saw even more six-armed Pookas. "No, I didn't want this!" He tripped and fell in a puddle, and when the water stilled he saw how hideous he had become in his reflection._

"_If you're not with us, you're against us, Big Brother." Bunnymund's little sister Violet had even become an evil beast. "Do you want us to destroy your beautiful bride?" She stepped to the side, revealing a chained-up Jack behind her. A Pooka came up beside Jack and put his claws around the prince's neck._

"_No, Jack…" Bunny tried rescuing his mate, but he couldn't get to him in time. It all happened so fast: a flash of light, three streaks of blood, and a lifeless Jack lying in the dirt. The rabbit looked up at the giant red Moon and screamed until…_

:::

"AAAH!" Bunny awoke, sitting straight up in bed.

"Whoa!" Jack woke up too. "What's wrong, Bunny?"

"Ah…" Bunny's heartbeat slowly went back to normal. "Oh mate… didn't mean to scare ya."

"Did you have a nightmare?" The young man rubbed his husband's shoulders.

"Strewth." The Pooka recounted the nightmare for Jack. "I've had that kind of dream before."

"You have?" Jack asked. "With the six arms and everything?"

"Yes, and my family also have similar nightmares." Bunny said nonchalantly.

"What?!"

"More evidence to believe we once were beasts." Bunny sighed heavily.

"Maybe the Man in the Moon gave you the dream." Jack thought out loud, looking out the window at the Full Moon. Bunny looked, too.

"Is there really a man up there?" The rabbit asked as a moon beam glimmered through the glass into the room.

"Hey, your amulet is glowing." Jack pointed to the green amulet on the dresser. It reflected the moon beam off its surface brightly, almost as if the Moon was responding to Bunny. "Does that answer your question?"

"It's just a coincidence." Bunny didn't feel like arguing. "Let's just go back to sleep." He pulled Jack down to the bed with him.

"Whoa!" The prince bounced as they landed. "Fine… we do have a long morning coming."

"G'night, Frostbite." Bunnymund kissed his mate on the head. As Jack closed his eyes, the Pooka snuck another look out the window at the big Moon. If it was the Moon, then what was he trying to tell him?

:::

The next morning, the couple made their way to the huge library in the castle, where yetis worked to organize and clean all the books. There were so many books that they needed wheeled ladders and elevators to get to each shelf. One of the yetis came up to them, asking what they needed. "Do ya have anything about Pookas, and maybe some maps of the kingdom, please?" Bunny asked. The yeti made a garbled sound of approval and disappeared into the jungle of books while Jack and Bunny took a seat at a desk. "I don't know about this, mate."

"What do you mean?" Jack rested his feet on the table. "You want to find out about your history, right?"

"Yeah, but these books are written by biased humans." Bunny sighed. "Who knows how truthful they'll be."

"We won't know till we look." The young man shrugged. "If we don't like it, we can always ask the other Pookas when we find them." The yeti came back with a heavy handful of books. "That's way more than I thought you'd find; thanks!" He patted the yeti on the arm. Most of the books were of magical creatures and animal encyclopedias, with maps of Santoff Claussen. They immediately began searching, each picking up a book and flipping through it. "Uh… P, P, P… Here, Pooka!" Jack found something. "Pooka: a giant, anthropomorphic rabbit creature that lives with its pack in deep wooded areas. They can speak and walk like humans, but that doesn't mean they aren't wild animals. They can be dangerous; try to avoid their home if possible, as they are very territorial creatures. They scare easily and attack with brute strength and agility."

"How very carefully worded." Bunnymund snarled.

"Doesn't say anything about shape-shifting, though." The prince looked at the date of the book. "This book was published 50 years ago."

"We'll have to go further back in time, then." Bunny found a book written 250 years ago. "Pooka: a feral shape-shifting rabbit-like creature that live in the woods with their family. They pretend to be smart and rational like humans, but then change into huge beasts with six strong arms and attack without mercy. If you live near these monsters and see them…" Bunny swallowed hard before reading the next words. "Be armed and shoot to kill." He held back a gasp as he looked below the text to see an illustration of a six-armed Pooka ripping limbs from human bodies.

"Bullshit." Jack said angrily. "Pookas are obviously not like this." The prince looked at his husband, seeing how shaken he was, gripping the table and slightly tearing the woodwork with his claws. "Should we stop?" He placed a cool hand on Bunny's tense paw.

"'Course not." Bunny answered. "I gotta find the truth, no matter how painful it is."

"Right." Jack agreed. "Well, this one's from about 300 years ago… weird…"

"What is it, mate?"

"This isn't a book on creatures or myths; it's a journal about the expansion of Santoff Claussen." After searching through the thick book for a while, Jack found the part about Pookas and read it aloud. "Our people reached a beautiful land with calm, warm weather and plenty of greenery and clean water. Little did we know that it was already occupied by terrifying beasts we call Pookas. They look like nightmare rabbits with six arms and sharp teeth. They can stand on their hind legs like bears, but bears are far gentler than these creatures. The second they smelled us they came charging, massacring so many of our people simply for stepping onto their land. We wouldn't tolerate this. We fell back… for the moment. We needed to arm ourselves for battle against the beasts. This land will be ours, no matter what." There was a pause.

"Isn't there more?" Bunny had been listening intently, staring into space and tightening his lips.

"That was the end of the entry, but there's gotta be more." The prince goes further into the book. "This entry is four months after the last." He starts to read again. "Our army is ready to fight these Pookas, marching into their claimed territory. However, when we saw them again, we were shocked at their new appearance." Bunny's ears perked up. "They only had two arms and looked to be sweeter, gentler creatures than what we saw before, but we knew it was them. They were still tall, bipedal rabbits. We assumed then that Pookas were shape-shifters, trying to deceive us with their sweet demeanors. We wouldn't fall for it. We began our attack, driving them away from our new land." Jack stopped reading, getting an upsetting vibe from Bunny, whose fists became tighter with each word. "I'm sorry."

"For what, mate?" Bunnymund snapped out of his silent anger.

"Sorry that… this kingdom was built with dirty hands."

"Well, after reading that, it seems both sides had dirty hands." The Pooka sighed. "Still, there's so much left unanswered."

"That's why we need to find the other Pookas, right?" Jack rolled a map of Santoff Claussen open. "All these maps were drawn recently. I'm sure they're here somewhere."

"The only things my mother ever told me about the other tribes was that one of them travelled east and the other went north." Bunny explained.

"That doesn't help much, does it?" Jack asked rhetorically. "There's plenty of forests to the east… mountains, too… they must hide really well because I've only heard of Pookas living to the west."

"They're probably not even in Santoff Claussen." Bunny rolled open another map featuring the northern border of the kingdom. He scanned the map, trying to figure where these Pookas could be. "Hey, what's this?" He pointed to a small circle in the middle of a large forest just beyond the border; it looked like a village was built there.

"Never noticed that before. But, would Pookas build a village?"

"Dunno." The rabbit replied. "I don't know why Pookas would want to live in such cold weather in the first place."

"Well, maybe we could ask the people that live there if they've seen Pookas around." Jack closed his map. "It is our only lead. This really could take a while."

"Crikey, getting impatient already." Bunny sat down, pulling out a notebook and a pen.

"What are you doing?" The young man asked.

"I gotta write all this information down, ya whacker." Bunny dipped the pen in ink. "I'm not bringin' all these ancient and heavy books to my family when I tell them about this."

"And now it's gonna take longer." Jack huffed.

"Oi, don't start, mate." The Pooka didn't look up from his work. "Why don't you get to your studies while you're here, hm?" Jack just groaned impatiently.

:::

Thirty minutes later, Bunny was still writing and Jack was studying beside his partner, though not very intently. "I didn't even know Pookas could write." The prince stated.

"I learned after I left home." Bunnymund didn't talk much about that time he was away from his tribe. Jack always wanted to learn more, but he never had a good time to bring it up. But now still wasn't a good time, since he just wanted to get on with their journey already.

"Are you done yet?" The young man prodded the rabbit with his elbow.

"Five more minutes." Bunny dipped the pen in ink again, running out of it.

"That's what you said five minutes ago." Jack groaned impatiently. He observed the rabbit for a moment, seeing how precisely he wrote each letter, how perfect his posture was, and how focused he was while doing so. He has better handwriting than the prince himself. Whoever taught him to write must have been quite anal, maybe even an actual librarian…? _Librarian… Bunny…_ Jack suddenly pictured his husband wearing a tight-fitting robe and glasses, reading and writing very meticulously and ordering him to be quiet, and threatening to punish him if he wouldn't… _Fuck, that's it._ Now he was getting horny for no reason. The young man closed his book, got up and took it to the closest yeti. "After you put that away, tell the others to clear out of the library and don't let anyone else in." He whispered, giving a suggestive look to the yeti. As soon as the creature understood, he quickly carried out his mission, making sure everyone but the husbands were left in the large room. Jack stared and grinned at his oblivious mate; he was tired of sitting around and now he was going to have some fun.

Bunnymund continued to write until he heard a book slam shut in front of him. "Oi, I was still using…" He looked up into the mischievous blue eyes of his husband, who was sitting on the edge of the desk and sliding his white cape from his shoulders.

"Whoops, sorry about that." Jack smirked. "But you're done with this one, right?" He shut another book, the one right in front of the Pooka. "And these?" He pushed all the books out of Bunny's immediate reach.

"What are you…?" Bunny tried standing, but Jack slid off the desk quickly, straddling his lap. He noticed that the young man's fly was undone. Jack took that opening and grabbed the pen from Bunny's paw and dropped it to the floor. "What's the meaning of this, Jack?"

"Oh, am I in trouble?" The prince reached behind him and took the rabbit's notebook, glancing over it. "I don't know why; it looks like you're done." He shut it and put it on the next chair over. "But if I have to be in trouble, I guess that's fine." He threaded his fingers through Bunny's shoulder fur. "You look like you could use a stretch after reading and writing all morning. You're always so uptight; you could use a little fun." His mouth came closer to the Pooka's and bit his bottom lip while simultaneously pulling hard on the fur in his fingers. Bunnymund growled, standing up and flipping Jack over, pushing his head against the desk with one paw and holding Jack's arms behind him with his other. The captive prince yelped in shock and delight.

"You stupid little whacker." Bunny growled in Jack's ear. "You think I didn't hear ya clearin' the yetis out of the room? What's goin' on in that pea-brain of yours? You tryin' to get a whipping?"

"What if I am… Mr. Librarian?" Jack said breathlessly. Bunny finally understood what the game was and grinned.

"Well I'm disappointed to say I don't have a whip…" The rabbit let go of the young man's head, pulled off his trousers and picked up a small, hard book. "But a librarian doesn't need one." He cracked the book over that beautiful ass, hard enough to make a sound that echoed through the library.

"AH!" Jack gasped, his body twitching in surprise. He cried again when Bunny hit him a second time.

"You're twenty and still acting like a bratty child." Bunnymund scolded Jack as he beat his bottom. "You're so easily distracted, and always need to be the center of attention. Don't ya?"

"Ah… ah… yes…"

"Yes, what?"

"Yessir…" Jack blushed as bright red as his bum. His arousal was piqued from that sexy voice and stinging bum, his dick hard under the table. "NNGH!" Bunny gave him one last hit across his thighs.

"Hmph, it's not a punishment if you're enjoying it." The Pooka put the book down and bent over to pick up the feather-tipped pen that was on the floor, keeping his grip on the prince's wrists. "Spread your legs." Jack obeyed, showing his cute erection between his legs. Bunny snickered and ran the feather up and down Jack's dick.

"What the hell…?" Jack squirmed around from the weird feel of the feather. It was ticklish and annoying; no way was it enough to make him come, which was the rabbit's exact intention. "Dammit… stop…"

"That wasn't proper manners, young man." Bunnymund continued to play his role while swiping the feather all over Jack's leaking cock. "Why don't you try asking nicely?"

"Please… nngh… touch me right…" Jack tried moving his hips to feel more of the pen. His arms started to ache as Bunnymund held onto him tightly.

"That was better, but still rude." Bunny moved the feather up Jack's balls and between his cheeks. Jack wailed in frustration. "Try again, or you'll get nothin'."

"Please, I beg you, sir…" The prince's ears and shoulders turned red in embarrassment. "Touch me."

"Good onya, Jack." The Pooka dropped the pen and wet his pawed fingers with his tongue. He poked his claw carefully at Jack's pink entrance.

"Wha… wait, that's not what I… AAAHNN…!" Jack keened as he felt two fingers enter him quickly.

"Ya should've been more specific, then." Bunny smiled, watching the young man's anus tighten around his fingers. "You're lucky I'm preparing you after you've been so bad… messing with a librarian's work…"

"Hah…! Yes… thank you, sir…" The prince made sweet sounds as he was worked open by big pawed fingers. They were quickly and roughly twisting inside him, a sure sign that the Pooka couldn't last much longer. "S-Sir, if you want… you can…" He moaned, and he heard Bunny gulp and exhale sharply. "AAH?!" The fingers were removed and immediately replaced by a hot erection, pushing forward to enter that tight body. "Oh god… M-Mr. Librarian…"

"Fuck…" Bunnymund put Jack's wrists above his head with both hands as he moved forward slowly, not wanting to hurt his mate too much. "I trained your body well, love. You're sucking me in amazingly." He groaned as his mate relaxed his body enough so he could slide all the way in.

"So… I _am_ a good boy." Jack choked out, smirking weakly. Bunny's vision reddened after that statement and he snapped, starting a moderate pace with his hips as he thrust into his husband's beautiful body. The young man's screams bounced off the walls and ceiling, not caring if anyone could hear.

"Yes… a good boy indeed…" Bunny rolled his hips up and in, making Jack's pointed toes barely touch the floor. Doing this also made the rabbit find the prince's sensitive spot.

"Oh Moon…!" Jack's whole body shivered. He heard his husband snicker above him as he began to hit that spot every time, going faster and faster. Jack continued to shiver as he felt his orgasm coming, his open mouth drooling on the desk and his vision whiting out.

"That's my good boy, Jack." Bunny grabbed his mate's leaking erection, and he came hard while he was stroked, shooting it straight to the floor. The rabbit came inside Jack after a few more thrusts. "Damn, Frostbite, you took that like a pro." He slid out of his husband gently, watching his semen ooze out of that abused opening between red, beaten cheeks.

"You… made me a pro." Jack said with a hoarse, breathless voice. "But I don't think I'll be able to stand the rest of the day."

"I'll carry you to bed, then…" The Pooka kissed the young man's head. "After I finish my notes, ya bloody whacker."

:::

**A/N**: OMG, I'm SO sorry this took so long, guys! I didn't mean it! You'll have to punish me (wriggles ass in your face). I hope the smut can make up for my tardiness! Here are some **Q&amp;A** answers for you too!

**Edam Aster Bunnymund**: Between Aster and Jack. Who do you prefer?

**Answer**: I don't know if you mean in bed or in general, but I'll answer both. Jack is one of the greatest characters ever made; he's just so cute! But I'd rather fuck Aster cuz he's super sexy and most likely great in bed, cuz he's a rabbit after all!

**vampygurl402**: who does top Bunnymund/bottom jack fics a lot? Pirates of the Caribbean pairing jack sparrow/will turner for M and T fics on ffnet/archieveourown needs fics and more authors if can help and needs da/lj/tumblr clubs and potc kink on livejournal and new youtube uploaders if can help. Spread word about pairing please, also pairing will turner/james hardly has any fics

**Answer**: Well, I do! It's all I write, since I don't see Bunny as a bottom… ever. There are plenty of other authors that have top!Bunny; it seems to be the norm (I haven't been reading fics in a while). Aarinfantasy might have some PotC fics and art for you, all ya gotta do is sign up. My good friend ChikaraKokoro might have some fics for you too on this site. I'm kind of surprised there isn't a lot of Jack/Will yaoi out there! Hope I helped!

**Treehugeer**: Omg your back whoooooo! I know this is a bit early in the story to ask but will Pitch come back? Just wondering :)

**Answer**: Meh… I don't want to spoil anything… the answers will become clear in later chapters!

**RemmyBlack**: I love this. :) I really hope the next chapter comes soon. :D

Are Sophie and Jamie going to be in this story a lot? Or are those two just going to be randomly mentioned, make random appearances?

**Answer**: They'll be scattered here and there, but they won't be main characters.

By the way, there's a huge fan of mine whose name is **fireworks**, I can never reply to her numerous messages since she's only a guest, but I just want to tell her thanks for all the messages and become a member so I can thank you!

\- Taru-chan


	3. Chapter 3

Ice Curse 2: Pookan Bane

Chapter 3

:::

"This is all we found in the library." Bunnymund said to his mother, Dahlia, at the Pooka encampment. His mother and Bergamot looked over the notes that he had made yesterday.

"Lies." Bergamot spat out. He had become the chief since Bunny was unable to take the job.

"We don't know that, dear." Dahlia sighed. "There's so much we don't know. It's quite frustrating."

"We were… thinking of meeting the other tribes." Bunny knew he would get shocked looks from his family when he said that.

"It would be good to have their support." Jack decided to break his silence. "They might know some things that you don't about Pookan history."

"Jack, would you be going with my son?" Dahlia asked, concerned for the human.

"I know if we find them they might not like me too much…" Jack looked at his husband. "But this is important to both of us, and I want to show that humans and Pookas can coexist."

"Good onya, love." Bunny took the prince's hand. "Well, whaddaya say, Mother, Mottie?"

"I do believe that the time to reunite is long overdue." Dahlia said. "I just hope we can meet in peace."

"I agree." Bergamot's ears straightened. "And don't call me 'Mottie'! It's 'Chief' to you!" They all just laughed.

"We'll head north first, since there're problems to the east." Bunny recalled the king talking about the disappearances in that direction.

"Make sure to tell them that they are welcome here." Dahlia smiled.

"Yeah, and good luck to you two." Bergamot did his secret handshake with his brother. They all said goodbye before Bunnymund made a tunnel with the amulet, the husbands heading towards their next adventure with hope in their hearts.

:::

"Whoa." Jack said as they exited the tunnel, coming face-to-face with a wall made of giant wooden logs. "Is this the right place?"

"I'm pretty sure, mate." Bunny checked the coordinates on the map, finding this to be the location of the mysterious town in the northern forest above the border. "Let's just keep followin' the wall till we see an entrance."

"And what a wall." The prince started following Bunny. "What do they want to keep out?"

"From the looks of it…" The Pooka observed the wall: the logs were thick and tall coniferous trees, the bark shaved off and the tops carved into angry points covered in barbed wire. They were buried deep in the ground and tied with the strongest rope. There were absolutely no gaps or peepholes to see the other side. "Everything."

"Look!" Jack whisper-shouted. After walking around the circular wall, they saw two watchtowers atop it with an armed and cloaked guard in each one. Below them was a large drawbridge with two more guards standing at each side.

"Maybe we shouldn't just sneak up on them." The rabbit whispered, putting a hand on his mate's shoulder. "Let's go through the woods this way and…"

"Oi, who goes there?!" One of the guards shouted. The watchtower guards pointed their rifles in the intruders' direction. The other two started running towards them.

"What?" Jack held his hook staff up in defense. "How could they have heard us? They're too far away!"

"Don't start a fight yet, mate." Bunnymund held his paws up in surrender as the guards approached; however, they stopped suddenly in their tracks. The watchtower men lowered their weapons, seeming confused. The two outsiders noticed their strange behavior. "Please, we didn't mean to be sneaky. We simply ask for help. Do ya know of any creatures that look like me, and if so, can ya point us in their direction?"

"You… look for Pookas?" One of the soldiers asked.

"Yes, that's right!" Bunny smiled. "Do ya know where…?" Just then, the wind changed and Bunny caught a familiar scent. It was the scent of his kind… and it was coming from the guards. "Wait… are you…?"

Bunny and Jack gasped as they took off their hoods and huge ears popped out from under them. Where Bunnymund and the rest of his tribe had large sideburns, these Pookas had streamlined furry faces and a slightly different floral symbol on their foreheads. "Yes Brother, we are Pookas." Their accents were nearly the same, too.

"So you're the ones that live behind this wall?" Jack asked.

"Yes…" The guard scrutinized the human. "And who might you be?"

"This is Prince Jackson of Santoff Claussen." Bunny said as the prince brandished the royal seal on his cape. "And I'm his knight, E. Aster Bunnymund. I come from the southwestern tribe of Pookas."

"So you're the one we heard about." The other guard said. The travelers looked surprised that he was that famous. "Why have you come here?"

"I… believe it is time for our tribes to come together again." Bunnymund replied as his ears drooped, not really having thought of what to say once he found his brethren. "And… we have so many questions about our past… we hoped your tribe could enlighten us."

"You've come to the right place for knowledge, mate." The first guard said. "Our chief will be eager to meet you." He turned to his partner. "Go notify the chief!"

"Right." The second guard created a tunnel with his foot and leaped down it, much to Bunny's surprise.

"You have stones like this?" Bunny showed his.

"Aye, all our soldiers and travelers have them." The guard took his from under his cape. "Didn't think the other tribes still had them."

"This is the only one we have." Bunny cradled it in his hand. "Do ya know where the other tribe is, by chance?"

"Not personally, but our chief can tell you. He knows just 'bout everything." They heard some gears crank and turned to see the drawbridge opening, the guard from before standing at the gate.

"Chief Jarli will see you two, now!" He shouted, beginning to lead the way for the prince and his knight. "Right this way, then!"

When Bunny and Jack entered the village, they gasped in amazement. It was… an actual village, with three-story wooden townhouses and small shops that sold food placed here and there. There were paved streets and hardly any grass or trees; there were some flowers growing from pots on windowsills, but that was about it. Pookas with streamlined faces, thicker fur and wispy tattoos walked these streets and children played happily in them as well. There were no humans to be found. "This place is… very advanced." Bunny was a little upset that there were hardly any plants, but at the same time impressed by the civilization.

"Come, the Chief's home is straight ahead." They all walked down the street, naturally getting stares from Pookas they crossed.

"I understand how you feel, now." Jack whispered to his husband, definitely feeling like a fish out of water, just like Bunny does at the palace.

"No need to worry love, I don't sense any danger." Bunny nudged his mate with his elbow.

"Who says I'm worried?!" The young man's cheeks turned red. As Bunnymund laughed he met eyes with two young female Pookas across the street. They giggled and let their ears droop coyly as they waved to him. Jack caught this transaction and saw his husband give a nervous smile to the ladies. His stomach churned, feeling awfully strange about what just happened. Bunny looked down at his mate, but Jack huffed and averted his gaze, focusing ahead. The Pooka knew not to say anything, at least not right now.

They arrived at what looked to be the biggest building in the city. A tall, tan-colored Pooka stood before it, dressed in a green, patterned robe and round glasses. He held a gold staff in his hand with a green, egg-shaped jewel adorning the top. Even his posture was perfect, his ears stood straight as his staff and his eyes were shrouded, he had a warm smile. "Presenting the ruler of the Wakgala Tribe, Chief Jarli." A guard gestured to the dressed Pooka. Bunnymund bowed respectfully, and Jack decided to do the same.

"E. Aster Bunnymund and Prince Jackson." Jarli stepped up to them. "I'm so excited to meet the two of you. In fact, I was hoping you would come to this place one day."

"You have?" Bunny asked.

"Of course. To hear of a Pooka living openly in Santoff Claussen and saving and wedding a human prince is astounding." Jarli's nose twitched in excitement.

"Well, I didn't really… do much…" Bunny's ears pressed to his head.

"No matter what we heard happened in the battle between you and the evil wizard, the fact that you were brave enough to enter the kingdom and admit your love of the prince is incredible on its own." Jarli smiled knowingly at Bunny's surprised expression.

"That's what I keep telling him." Jack smirked.

"Your Highness…" Jarli bowed to him. "I greatly appreciate you and your family's open-mindedness. The king's law and your marriage are great strides in the equality of our species. Thank you."

"You're welcome, but…" Jack looked down. "Our people still have a ways to go."

"We must always have patience for such things." The chief shook his head. "Where are my manners? Please, come in and make yourselves at home." They came into the building, a lounge and fireplace greeted them after coming through a small foyer. The prince was surprised by its simplicity; after seeing the size of the building he expected a larger living space. There was already tea and finger sandwiches ready for them at the table. "Now, I understand you wish to learn about your heritage, as it seemed to be forgotten after many years."

"I'm ashamed to admit." Bunny said as he and Jack sat down. "I have so many questions; I don't know where to start."

"Mr. Bunnymund, you have come to the right place." Jarli sat at the other end of the table and took his glasses off, his gold eyes gleaming. "Our tribe makes a living on knowledge. We travel, and exchange information with places all over the world. The entire city holds tomes about everything you can imagine and more. My home holds the most; in fact, it is more of a library than a home." He smiled. "And the way we choose the chief is not based on lineage, but rather intelligence. In other words, whoever has the highest IQ and/or has a photographic memory becomes the chief." There was a pause so the two guests could absorb all that.

"That's… amazing." Bunny couldn't believe how lucky they were in finding this place. "So, you…"

"I remember everything I have ever seen, read, and heard." Jarli confirmed.

"We really did come to the right place." Jack smiled.

"I've even asked my helper to receive the book of the history of our species." The chief said. "We will have the answers for you in no time."

"Bonza." Bunny smiled brightly. Jack thought he looked like a little kid. "Thank you so much." The Pooka was finally going to get the answers he always wanted.

:::

**A/N**: Once again, sorry for being late. I guess I have Writer's Block or something; it's not like I'm busy. Also, my router exploded cuz of a thunderstorm, so I didn't have the internet for a few days. I was also bummed from the whole JackRabbit Week on tumblr incident AND getting my story deleted from FF all at once. BTW, all my stuff is on **AO3** (Archive of Our Own) now, so check it out! My name there is **fieryhotaru**. As I said, when future chapters of this include sex I'm going to post it to AO3 only and let my FF fans know with a notice. What a waste of time, huh? If only you could post sex on FF without getting your stuff deleted! Oh the fuck well! Anyway, on a lighter note, here's some **Q&amp;A**, which I'm still doing so ask me things!

**insanity-AlphaBeta**: Yay! im glad you're back! I read your first book in about 2-3 days only cuz I kept getting interrupted. Had i not been interrupted I would have had it finished in a day. Your writing style is amazing, almost as good as rick riordan's. And he is like my favorite author ever! Anyway, what do ya do when you're not reading manga, watching anime, or writing fanfiction? Who is your favorite character, from anywhere? Thank you for your writing and the stories you give us! *gives 1000 cookies* here! xD

**Answer**: OMG thank you! I never read anything by Rick Riordan, but if you say I'm as good that's great! As for what I do… I play video games too! Lol I honestly don't do much of anything, now. I've been unemployed for almost a year now, and my day literally involves sleeping, sitting at the computer, and watching TV with my parents, and now that it's summer we go swimming in the backyard too. I want to be a voice actor and work from home, but I still need another job so I can pay for equipment and subscriptions for voiceover websites (how stupid is that?) Anyway, fave character… I like eccentric or evil characters, mostly. Can't choose just one: the Genie is my favorite Disney character, I love Grell from Black Butler and Chichiri from Fushigi Yuugi, all the One Piece characters, and obviously the rotg characters, especially Jack Frost. Thanks for the cookies! *ravenously eats them*


	4. Chapter 4

Ice Curse 2: Pookan Bane

Chapter 4

:::

"Pookas are originally from the continent of Australia." Chief Jarli explained as Bunnymund and Jack opened the books in front of them. "We traced our ancestry back as far as the mid-Cenozoic Era from this location." He opened a box, pulling out some bones and paper with footprints traced onto them with lead. "We found these deep within the layers of the Earth using those magical green stones."

"Australia, huh?" Jack raised an eyebrow. "I always thought you looked like you were from there, Bunny." He resisted giggling.

"Pookas are not marsupials, ya whacker." Bunny sneered, remembered the prince calling him a kangaroo. "That much I know."

"True, we are more closely related to rabbits than kangaroos, even in the… other form…" Jarli became serious.

"Other form?" Bunny instantly knew what he was talking about. "You mean we really were…"

"So you have heard?" Jarli interrupted. "Yes, it is true. These are copies of the fossilized footprints…" He laid the large paper on the table. "Six paws, two feet. The prints followed this pattern in the ground, indicating the usual running stride of such a creature. These…" He pulled out a smaller paper with two footprints. "Show the usual walking gait."

"But how can you be absolutely sure…?" Bunny didn't want to believe this.

"Skeletons were found as well." The chief held up some bones. "Other than the four extra arms and a slightly curved spine, it has the same bone structure. There are no fossils of Pookan bodies with two arms before three hundred years ago. We followed the prints and bones, finding them all across the country. This other form seemed to rule over Australia, until something significant happened."

"Climate change?" Jack suggested.

"Correct!" Jarli replied. "The continent became too hot and dry, so they began to move up through Asia. They fought their way through jungles and deserts full of carnivorous animals and giant birds of prey. They became lesser in number but the strong survived and only became stronger, and possibly more aggressive and territorial as they finally found what is now called the kingdom of Santoff Claussen." The chief's expression became angry. "Still, there is something that we could never figure out, no matter who we asked or how hard we tried…" He inhaled through his nose. "We cannot determine how we suddenly changed from six-armed to two-armed."

"What?" Bunny might have said a little too loudly. "There's no scientific evidence?"

"Absolutely none." Jarli's head lowered. "Our ancestors never needed to evolve. The six-armed form was how we looked for millions of years, never changing in the slightest. Then, about three hundred years ago, we immediately transformed. We became much more intelligent, much more caring and loving… and physically much weaker. A blessing and a curse, if you will. Pookas of this time remembered nothing of the bestial forms. And the information you have there is correct." He pointed to Bunnymund's notebook. "The founders of Santoff Claussen were then able to take the land because of the sudden transformation."

"This transformation…" Jack said after a long pause. "Could have been by magic."

"Magic?" Jarli repeated.

"Jack believes the one responsible was the Man in the Moon." Bunny said. "And quite frankly, that's the best explanation we got so far."

"I see… interesting." The chief pondered. "If science can't explain, perhaps magic can. The Man in the Moon, or some other mystical creature… still, there is no evidence of that, either."

"Can you tell us about what happened after the transformation?" Bunny asked, disappointed that his main question couldn't be answered.

"Our tribe was pushed back to the corner of the kingdom by the humans. Many of us were killed or died from exhaustion." Jarli said. "It was indeed confusing as to why humans hated us, since we didn't remember our past after we changed. A group of Pookas wanted to fight back, while the others simply wanted to live in the peace of springtime. Our tribe split up, the fighters heading east."

"The Eastern tribe!" Bunny's ears snapped up. "Are they still around?"

"Yes, we call them the Bowk-ga Tribe. That means 'howling' in Australian aboriginal language." Jarli's eyes narrowed. "We do not have direct contact with them, but they are still warriors and they travel frequently. About fifty years after the Bowk-ga Tribe moved east, the western tribe would split up again. Some Pookas wanted to leave the kingdom in search of a friendlier world where humans would be few. The magical green stones they'd found would take them there instantly, moving them north. We call our tribe the Wakgala tribe, meaning 'book'. Our first chief wanted to dive into the unknown and learn of our existence. Some Pookas still would stay in Santoff Claussen in fear of the unknown. These Pookas would become your ancestors, Bunnymund. They kept with the tradition of spring, nurturing and creating new plants and learning of the food and medicines that nature can give. Your tribe is called the Datj-ja Tribe, meaning 'flower'."

"Datj-ja…" Bunnymund tried it out. "You know so much about us; why not ever make contact with us? Why not ever lend us this knowledge you found?"

"I feel ashamed now that we share knowledge all over the world, but never with our brethren. Was it possibly a long held grudge, or just simple laziness, cowardice and heartlessness?" Jarli shook his head. "There are no good excuses, Bunnymund. I commend you for this brave act of rebuilding the bridge between our tribes. You were the one who believed it was time. You are truly someone special."

"Struth, mate…" Bunny's ears pressed to his head. "It was more Jack's idea than mine." He smiled at his mate.

"His Highness is truly remarkable as well." The chief smiled at Jack, too. The prince blushed. "The Bowk-ga Tribe is hard to keep tabs on since they move frequently and are very secretive. Sometimes we wonder if they still exist, but we can draw you a map of their last known locations to narrow your search."

"That would be a great help, thanks." Bunny held up the stone around his neck. "Do they have these stones?"

"I doubt it since our two tribes discovered them after they left. My tribe ended up taking most of them when they left yours, and I heard that's the only one your tribe has." Jarli said. "By the way, we call this rock 'itumite', the traveling stone."

"Itumite, huh?" Bunnymund turned the stone in his hand, watching it sparkle in the twilight. Twilight… "Oh, I didn't realize how late it was. Sorry about all this…"

"Don't be ridiculous, it was a wonderful surprise." Jarli held his arms out. "I can get that map drawn for you by our cartographer, and in the meantime, you can spend the night in our village. My home is not built for guests, but there's a bed and breakfast near the entrance of the village that would be happy to take you."

"A bed and breakfast?" Jack questioned. "Do you get a lot of visitors?"

"We've housed a few strays from time to time, including humans." The chief replied. "I know our walls can be intimidating, but if we see those in need, they may take shelter in them."

"Thanks, chief." Bunny shook his hand.

"Yeah, we owe you." The prince smiled.

"Once again, being ridiculous." Jarli lowered his ears. "In the absence of our brethren's lives, we are the ones indebted to you. Let us hope that our tribes can help each other from now on."

"Hope…" Bunnymund smiled, soaking in that word. "We will."

:::

**A/N**: Mmmmhey… Writing this chapter made me get interested in evolution and dinosaurs and space all over again! I was just getting swept up in research and forgetting to write: My Excuse for the Day, people. Anyway, there was a lot of plot going on in this chapter, so if there're any questions please ask as part of the **Q&amp;A**! Here're the answers for this round:

**Fireworks**: We all know your favorite ROTG pairing is jackrabbit but what's your second favorite pairing and why? Also would u do a fic mainly on da pairing or just have them as a side pairing! Update soon and give me more yaoi goodness!

**Answer**: Well, I can respect all ROTG pairings. I can go for BlackIce, if I'm feeling emo or if I just happen to come across it, and I like North/Tooth, maybe even Jack/Tooth. I hate crossover pairings; I just don't get them. I don't think I could write a story starring a pairing other than JackRabbit since I wouldn't be uberly passionate about them, but I feature North/Tooth and one-sided BlackIce in this series. Good question and thanks!

**Insanity-Chi**: Cool! Anyway I love this chapter Jarli is kind which I like. Cuz a lot of stories have those with the knowledge, cruel and greedy! Anyway im like you. I barely do anything. And I still gotta get my books for school! Ugh! Anyway I like grell just not when he is trying to get into Sebby's pants. And Chichiri is like my favorite put of the whole group! But i havent watched much of it. Im on like episode 28. Do you watch Sailor Moon, and Inuyasha? They are really good too! And Bleach, Naruto, Fullmetal Alchemist, etc.! Lol. I got too excited. c:

**Answer**: Glad you like Jarli! He's supposed to look like the Bunnymund from the Guardians of Childhood books. Well, at least you do school; I don't even do that. And that's EXACTLY when I like Grell! I like it when he tries to get in anyone's pants, really! Do watch the rest of Fushigi Yuugi. It's thankfully shorter than most other animes these days. Anyway, the answers: I HEART Sailor Moon; it was my first! Inuyasha was alright; I mainly watched it for educational purposes. I'm wearing a Bleach T-Shirt right now with Aizen, Gin, Uqi and Grimm on it! Love Naruto except for the fillers, and I love Fullmetal Alchemist (the first anime not the manga or Brotherhood).

See ya!

Taru-chan


	5. Chapter 5

Ice Curse 2: Pookan Bane

Chapter 5

:::

"Ah man, this history lesson hurt my brain!" Jack said as he and Bunny walked down the street of the Pookan town. "I thought I was done with studying for a while."

"I don't know why ya complain, since you're actually smart." Bunnymund remembered seeing his test scores for the first time (yes, his father makes him take tests) and being surprised at how high they were.

"Yeah, but it doesn't make studying any less boring." The prince smiled. "But we learned a lot about Pookas today, so that's good."

"Struth mate, and the next thing we have to talk about is what each tribe can offer to the other… although I'm a little worried mine won't be able to give much…" He stopped short, almost running into someone. He looked and saw it was the two female Pookas from earlier. Had they been waiting here this whole time for him?

"Oh, hi there!" The cream-colored one said, acting like she wasn't expecting the encounter.

"Erm… G'day, sheilas." Bunnymund needed to stay polite.

"Wow, I like your voice!" The dark grey one said. "And those sideburns are cool!"

"Uh, thanks…"

"Come with us, we'll show you around town!" The cream-colored one took his hand. "And then we can go out… huh?" Jack stepped in between the two, parting their paws.

"Sorry, but we have business to take care of." Prince Jackson's voice was deep and firm. His long bangs helped to diminish the anger in his eyes… a little. All three Pookas' eyes widened. The girls looked at the human with surprise and distaste; it was as if they didn't notice him till now.

"He's right, ladies. We're very busy right now." Bunny grinned, putting his arm around Jack's shoulders to show off his shiny wedding ring. The females looked like they got the message, and Jack grabbed Bunny's paw and cut between the ladies to continue walking down the street. "G'day!" He said to the girls again as they trudged away, disappointed. "Oi mate, it's hard to walk like this." They were holding each other's right hand, making it awkward to walk together easily. Jack didn't answer; he just kept his focus on the road. Bunny sighed, letting it stay silent until they got to the bed and breakfast.

:::

The couple opened the door to their room, liking how cute and homey it was. It was cottage style with a wooden desk, two chairs and a wooden-framed bed with a laced canopy. The decorative pillows were handcrafted and very colorful. "Wow, this is really nice." It was definitely Bunny's style. As he took off his bandolier and itumite gem, the prince went to silently sit on the bed. "Now you're overreacting, mate…"

"You said that you put your scent on me and vice versa." Jack interrupted.

"Huh? Uh, right."

"So then why did they flirt with you and touch you?" He finally looked up at his husband. Bunny remembered telling Jack that in his tribe it was bad form to touch a marked lover.

"Maybe their custom is different." The rabbit walked across the room to his husband. "Or maybe they just chose to ignore it. Either way, they were being rude in not recognizing your presence." He kneeled down and put his arms around Jack, pressing his cheek to his belly. "But there's no need to worry about it, Jack. We know that we're marked for each other, and that's all that matters."

"I'm sorry." Jack said after a pause. "I never felt that jealous before."

"Now ya know how I feel." Bunny purred, feeling Jack's cool fingers on his ears.

"Actually, there are a few questions I've always wanted to ask you…"

"Hm? What?"

"Were you… I mean… did you have sex with someone else before meeting me?" The young man felt the rabbit's ears stiffen.

"Wh-What?!" Bunny looked up at his husband, who was blushing bright red. "Why would you…?"

"It's not that I'd be mad!" Jack said in defense. "I was just wondering…"

"Yes." Bunnymund stated simply, not looking the prince in the eye.

"R-Really?"

"Yes, really."

"Anyone I know? Who was it? How many times…?"

"JACK!" Bunny stopped his husband and sighed. "I did it with three different people. A female Gorgon, a female bird-fairy thing, and a male werewolf."

"… Whoa." Jack wasn't quite expecting that. "So… no Pookas?"

"Nah, mate." Bunnymund sighed again. "See, growin' up, there weren't lots of females my age, so I never took a fancy to any of 'em. Males neither… I was too busy thinking about how I could become stronger. Then, when I left home, I simply had some urges, and I took care of them, so to speak. Thought I cleared out my system till I met you… but with you it was more than just an urge, love… it was a _need_."

"Aw, Bunny…" The prince blushed again. "So then, where did you meet these anthropomorphic creatures?"

"Jack, I… I'm not allowed to say."

"Why?" Jack asked. "You never tell me about your years away from your family."

"I know mate, but this place that I found… it is meant to be kept secret from humans." The Pooka looked his mate firmly in the eye. "Please understand. I can't talk much about it."

"Oh." Jack realized how serious he was about the issue and decided to drop it. "Okay, I understand."

"Good onya." Bunny nodded. "Did ya wanna ask me something else?"

"Well, I wanted to ask you how Pookas traditionally mate." The young man said nonchalantly. Bunny's ears stiffened again. "But, if you don't know…"

"I know the basics of Pookan courting, if that's what you mean. My mother taught me what to do if I ever fancied a female." Bunny lightly shivered, remembering his embarrassing conversation with his mother about the birds and the bees.

"I bet that was fun." Jack had a similar conversation with his parents.

"It's not all that different than human courting, really." Bunny explained. "Ya chat a sheila up, hang out with her… no giving flowers, though."

"Really?"

"In our culture, flowers are meant to stay in the ground, mate. Or at least in a pot." The rabbit despised bouquets of flowers, cut up from the Earth only to be put in a vase with water and nothing else, withering and dying in a matter of days. "The only differences are when things get physical."

"Is there nose-rubbing?" The young man leaned down to press his nose against his mate's, shaking his head side to side.

"Hahaha, a little." Bunny laughed. "Though not as dramatic. More like this." He stood on his knees and pressed his forehead to Jack's, rubbing gently against that button nose.

"And there's nuzzling, not kissing?"

"We kiss." The Pooka lightly but meaningfully kissed his husband's lips. "But mostly nuzzle." He then rubbed his fluffy cheek against Jack's, nuzzling into beautiful white hair and to the nape of his neck. Jack giggled at the tickle of whiskers against his ear. "We also groom each other." Bunny rustled his paws through Jack's long hair.

"To get out the bugs?" The prince joked.

"And the knots mate."

"And chinning is very important, too." Jack said.

"Yes, one of the most important." Bunny proceeded to do it, rubbing his chin on his love's shoulder, and then moving to sit next to Jack on the bed so he could chin the top of his head. "But the most important is marking: biting to leave a permanent scar as proof of ownership to each other."

"Marking?" Jack's voice was muffled by chest fur. "We haven't done that, have we?"

"I thought it might weird ya out, love." Bunnymund pulled away to look at his pretty mate. "Pookas can do this cuz the fur covers the scar. I didn't do it to ya cuz I thought ya wouldn't want to mark your perfect skin, mate."

"Do it." Jack said without hesitating. Before Bunny could ask, he said, "Yes, I'm sure."

"Jack…" Bunnymund stared into blue eyes. "The mark means we belong to each other forever. To a Pooka, it's far more serious than wedding vows or a ring."

"Then we must do it." Jack still didn't falter. He wanted to embrace his husband's traditions just as his husband does for him. "Please."

"Well, alright mate." Bunny took hold of his husband's arms. "But it's really going to hurt." The young man made a face saying he didn't care. "It goes on the left shoulder. Is that okay?"

"Yes, Bunny." The prince leaned his head to the right, giving his husband access. The rabbit swallowed, the primal thought of marking Jack as his forever giving him chills. He slowly leaned forward and placed his buck teeth gently on Jack's shoulder. Then, he squeezed his jaw shut around pale flesh, feeling it break. It started to gush blood as he made it deeper – he needed to make it permanent – and Jack let out a short wail and a long whimper. Still, he could tolerate more pain than most, and Bunnymund was always impressed by that. He released his bite and began to lick it tenderly, stopping some of the bleeding. "Bunny…" Jack sighed at the hotness of the rabbit's tongue on his wound. Still, it would need a bandage, and Bunny went to get one from his bandolier and stuck it on Jack's shoulder.

"Now then, my turn." The Pooka put his head to the side.

"Huh? I do it, too?"

"That's right; both mates do it out of respect for each other." Bunny replied.

"O-Okay." The prince never bit anyone so hard that they bled before. He didn't think his teeth were strong enough to leave a scar, either. But he would try. He leaned forward and touched his teeth to furry skin, brushing some fur to the side with his hands. He bit down quickly but failed to break skin out of hesitation. "Sorry."

"No worries mate." Bunny whispered. "Just do it slowly." Jack swallowed and opened his mouth again; pressing his teeth slowly into fuzzy flesh, going harder and harder till he felt skin break and tasted blood on his lips. "It needs to be a little deeper, love." Bunny grunted, feeling the pain as Jack did just that, sinking his little teeth in deeper. Then, the young man licked the wound just as Bunny had for him. "Ah, good job mate. I won't need a bandage." He embraced his husband gently. "I love you, Jack."

"I love you too, Bunny." Jack kissed the wound he made. "Any other Pookan mating rituals you can teach me?" He asked suggestively.

"Well, Pookas are related to rabbits, and you know what rabbits are famous for."

"I have spent two years educating myself about rabbits." Jack pulled away, eyeing his love sensually. "I can guess." He stuck out his tongue. The Pooka growled and pushed the naughty prince down on the bed.

"Allow me to enlighten you, Your Majesty."

:::

**A/N**: Okay kids; let's stop there before the Devil picks you up! As you well know, FF is banning sex from their site, so I can no longer destroy childhoods. The chapter was getting long anyway, so I'll stop here as the end of the chapter and put the next bit up as the bonus sex on AO3. I'll just post a notice on FF telling all you smart children to go to AO3 to see the sex. I'll try to get back to the plot as soon as I think of a good transition (that's the reason I was delaying writing this chapter). Remember; don't tell your parents what you look at on the internet or else crud like this happens! Here're some questions, or rather A question (c'mon, ask me questions):

**Insanity-Chi**: So the Australian words in there. Are they real? Sailor Moon was my first too! I agree with you on FmA. The original anime is better. But I can't seem to find the whole thing, and I can't access Netflix at the moment. And I will finish watching fushigi yuugi. And bleach is like an all time favorite! And naruto fillers are just plain dumb. But hru?

**Answer**: Yes, they are real! They're from an aboriginal language called Wagiman. I forgot to mention this in the notes, so I'll do it now: Jarli means 'barn owl' in that language, and 'itumite' means 'traveling stone' in Latin. Finally, somebody agrees with me on FmA! Go to watchcartoonsonline to find all the anime and cartoons you need, including FmA! I wish I could put links on this darned site. And… I'm fine, how are you? I'm assuming hru means that lol.


	6. Bonus (AO3 ONLY)

**A/N**: Hey, everyone! My new chapter is up at **AO3** (Archive of our Own) My username is **fieryhotaru**. Don't worry; there's **no plot** in this small chapter, just fucking. I can't post fucking on this site anymore or my account will be terminated. I will be back soon to post the **actual** next chapter here and at AO3. OK, bye!

Taru-chan


	7. Chapter 6

Ice Curse 2: Pookan Bane

Chapter 6

:::

_Bunnymund found himself in a forest by the mountains. The red moon looked down on him from above the trees. He started to walk, not seeing or hearing anyone around._

"_Hello?" He called out, his voice echoing through the trees. "Jack?"_

"_BUNNY!" He heard his husband's voice. "HELP!" Bunny wasted no time running to where his love was. He found Jack in a clearing, fighting six-armed Pookas. The royal army fought beside him, but they were losing, terribly out-muscled by the bloodthirsty creatures. Their bodies were ripped apart and scattered everywhere. "NO!" Jack was caught from behind, trying to escape the six arms that held him hostage._

"_JACK!" Bunny charged to him, but suddenly stopped, unable to move. Then he felt pain go through his body, clutching himself tightly. "Let… him go…"_

"_No, E. Aster Bunnymund…" The Pooka holding Jack said in a distorted voice. "Not until you cut him to pieces."_

"_Why would I ever… uuunngghhhhh…" Bunny moaned, the pain getting worse._

"_Because it is your nature." The Pooka said, Bunny watching his slightly lit mouth curl into a bestial, evil grin. "Humans are inferior. They stole our home, our lives, and we will take it back."_

"_AAAHHH…!" That last sentence repeated in his mind as it broke and his body went numb, and his conscience was unable to do anything about it. He looked down at himself, relishing in his six-armed body. Then he turned his attention to Jack, slowly walking towards him and unsheathing his claws._

"_Bunny, what are you…?" Jack looked incredulously at his husband, who had a terrifying, hungry look in his face. "Bunny, it's me, remember? It's Jack! You would never hurt me!"_

"No I wouldn't! Ever! But…" _Bunny's conscience told him. _"I can't control myself!" _He got as close as he could to Jack, putting his paws around that frail neck. _"STOP!"

"_BUNNY! DON'T DO IT…!" A disgusting tearing sound was heard after everything went black._

:::

"NO!" Bunny woke up in a fright again, sitting straight up and clutching the sheets. He looked around for Jack, but didn't see him in the room or next to him in bed.

"Bunny!" Jack was already up and getting dressed in the bathroom, making his way over to the bed to check on his husband. He was limping a little due to last night's romp and put a clean bandage on his scarring shoulder bite. "You had another nightmare?"

"Jack…" Bunnymund exhaled in relief. "Struth mate, it was similar to the last one, but I…" He shook his head, deciding not to recount it.

"Was the Moon in this one, too?" The prince asked, sitting beside him.

"Yeah, so?" Bunny rubbed his crusty eyes. "The Moon is just part of the scenery, ya gumbies."

"I don't know Bunny; I think he's trying to tell you something." Jack shrugged. The rabbit sighed, wondering if it could be true. He's had dreams about the beast form for as long as he can remember, and sometimes for weeks at a time. He hasn't had them for a while; since he met Jack two years ago. And they start up again now. These nightmares were indeed different from past ones, because they now included Jack, but they were more vivid, using all of his senses. They did feel like messages, but from a man on the Moon who thinks himself a deity?

"Why would he take time out of his 'busy' schedule to send me dreams?" Bunny stretched. "Besides, isn't that Sandy's job?"

"Sandy is exploring the world right now since he doesn't have to babysit me anymore, and Pitch is in a freezer." The young man replied. "Manny is a wizard too, and can see everything from where he is. Maybe there's a serious issue going on."

"Oh, we're allowed to give him nicknames, are we?" The Pooka asked smartly. "And if there was a serious issue, why not just flat out tell us what it is?"

"Your Highness! Mr. Bunnymund!" Someone knocked and shouted from the other side of the door. "Chief Jarli is ready to see you whenever you're ready."

"Alright, thanks!" Bunny cleared his throat. "Jack, unless 'Manny' sends me a clear message, I won't be convinced of his existence."

"Whatever you say, Cottontail." Jack shrugged. "I just can't wait to say 'I told you so' when you are."

"By the way, how are you standing right now?" Bunny smirked, changing the subject. He got out of bed and stretched greatly. "I fucked you so hard that you should still be sunken into the mattress."

"Maybe it wasn't as hard as you thought it was." The prince quipped, giggling until his husband pinched his ass-cheek with his strong paw. "OW! I'm joking, I'm joking! I'm barely standing right now, okay?!"

"Hmph." Was all the Pooka said as he strutted to the bathroom. He couldn't be thinking of some all-seeing wizard on the moon; he had to focus on the bonding with his newly-found brethren.

:::

"Good morning, Bunnymund, Your Highness." Jarli bowed politely, meeting them at his front door.

"G'day, Chief." Bunny and Jack bowed too.

"Please, come in." Chief Jarli led them inside, the space messier than it was last night. "I have that map drawn for you."

"Great! Let's see it." Jack slowly went over to the table, subtly using his hook staff as a cane. Bunnymund couldn't help but smirk to himself as he followed behind his marked mate.

"The Bowk-ga Tribe has been seen in these areas." Jarli gestured to the map on the table. There were at least a dozen different locations circled on the map. "I know it's a lot, but…"

"I know where they are." Bunny said certainly, only glancing at the map for a second. Jack and Jarli looked at him in surprise and confusion. "Here, in front of these mountains… there's a clearing, and the forest around it…" Bunny realized how strange he was sounding and looked up at the two.

"How do you know?" Jack asked after the pause.

"Uh…" Bunny looked at the map again, asking himself the same question and trying to remember where he saw this scenery before… "This place… was in my dream last night."

"What?!" Jack said loudly.

"A dream?" Jarli asked, his ears twitching. "What kind of dream?"

"Well, sometimes members of my tribe have nightmares about being those six-armed monsters…"

"You too?!" Jarli was astonished. "My tribe experiences the same dreams!"

"Holy shit." Bunny replied. It wasn't that much of a surprise; if all his tribe has these nightmares, then surely the rest of the Pookan race would have them.

"Bunny… are you okay?" Jack asked, noticing his husband seemed out of it.

"Huh? Yeah, just thinking…" Bunnymund had felt a knot in his stomach since he looked at the map. He felt like he was forgetting something or… something wasn't right. But what? He shook his head; he couldn't think about strange things now, there was business to attend to. "Before I go there, I should introduce you to my family." Bunny said to the chief. "I shouldn't be the one to negotiate any offerings. It should be between the two chiefs."

"Hm… very well. I shall get ready at once." Jarli turned to his assistant. "Bring me my itumite stone and staff."

"Oh, well… I could bring them here, if you'd prefer…"

"Nonsense; I could use some fresh air. Actually… I can't remember the last time I left these walls."

"Then my family will welcome you with open arms." Bunny assured him. Jack agreed, though he could still see some wariness in his husband's eyes.

:::

Chief Jarli met with Chief Bergamot peacefully and began to discuss building a brotherhood together. What the Wakgala Tribe could give in knowledge, the Datj-ja Tribe could give in the lessons of the Earth – getting back to their roots, so to speak. Jarli had never seen so many flowers in one place before and was astonished by the egg and paint flowers. He couldn't wait to learn more about them.

Night fell and the chiefs continued discussing in the tent while Bunnymund slipped away to the edge of the lake, taking another look at the map that showed the Bowk-ga Tribe's possible locations. He knew they were in this particular spot, but how? And was the Man in the Moon really sending him messages? If he was, they weren't very clear. He looked at the Moon's reflection in the lake.

"They say the Moon is a spaceship disguised as a satellite…" Jack came up behind his husband and sat next to him. "And he watches us with his moonbeams."

"Crikey mate, ya scared me." Bunny huffed. "You think I'm startin' to believe, or somethin'?"

"You should be." The prince smirked. "He told you where the other tribe is in your dream."

"Yeah, but then what does everything else mean?" Bunny gulped. "It better not be premonitions." In his nightmares, Jack was being… "I feel like I'm missing something important here. I gotta bad feelin'." He flicked the map with his hand.

"But we're still gonna go tomorrow, right?"

"I don't want you coming with me…" The Pooka looked at his mate, who had put on his 'you're-an-idiot-if-you-think-I'm-listening-to-you' face. "Is there anything I can do to talk ya out of it?"

"Nope." Jack stuck up his nose. "We're in this together, remember? Let's just go to sleep." He pulled Bunny down to the grass with him.

"I'm gonna have another nightmare, aren't I?" Bunny asked, putting the map aside.

"Don't worry; they're just bad dreams. I'll be right here when you wake up." The young man saw Bunny give him a surprised look. "My mother would say that to me after I had a bad dream… when I was a baby." He sneered that last line, shadily calling the rabbit a baby as a joke. Bunnymund smirked, understanding that his husband was trying to cheer him up and distract him with taunts.

"Isn't His Highness too frail to sleep on the hard ground?" Bunny jabbed back. "Don't ya need nine mattresses for your weak, tiny body?"

"It's okay; I'm sleeping on a big, fluffy bunny baby!" Jack cuddled the rabbit roughly. Bunny fought back with a tickle attack. Jack always knew how to find the fun in everything. He loved that about his mate.

They fell asleep with the Moon watching over them. The Moon sent a moonbeam to their sleeping forms in the middle of the night, like it had done the past two nights. It would send its last message.

:::

**A/N**: Hey-o! I have an **important message** for my **FF** readers: I have a new JackRabbit PWP oneshot on **AO3**! It is called **Worship 2**! This time, Bunnymund gets tied up and worshipped! I can't post it here cuz; well, you know. Sex. Check that out after reading this! Keep the ship floating, I implore you!

Taru-chan


	8. Chapter 7

Ice Curse 2: Pookan Bane

Chapter 7

:::

_Bunnymund found himself in that place by the mountains again. He looked up at the sky, seeing the Moon stare at him. "Am I supposed to be here, then?" He asked the Moon. "Is this where I should go? Where the other tribe is?" He heard people screaming behind him. In the clearing, six-armed Pookas massacring humans. "Why do you keep showing me this? Is this the future?" Bunny ran to the field, looking for any survivors. Among the dead, he saw familiar faces: the king, queen, soldiers, children… he stopped in front of the little girl Sophie's corpse, clutching onto a stuffed toy bunny in rigor mortis. "Why?" He started losing his composure. "Does the great Man in the Moon not have vocal cords?!"_

"_Bunny…"_

"_Jack!" Bunny heard his husband call to him. He found Jack lying on the ground with three deep slashes on his chest and a twisted neck. "Oh god Jack…"_

"_Why, Bunny?" Jack whispered. "Why did you do this to me? Why did you become a monster? A beast?"_

"_What? No, I didn't…" The Pooka realized he was in six-arm form, but this time, he had blood all over himself. "No…"_

"_How could you…?" Jack coughed up blood. "I'll… never forgive you…"_

"_Jack, please…!" Bunny cried. "Don't say that…"_

"_I hate you, Aster." Jack said before his eyes closed. Before Bunnymund could scream, the world around him changed, and now he was standing in a white room full of lights. It was too bright and he had to shut his eyes._

"You can prevent all that from happening…" _A voice said. Bunny couldn't pinpoint its location. _"If you find the power in yourself to do so. If that power is given to you, then those events that you saw will occur."

"_What the hell are you talkin' about?!" Bunny shouted, squinting into the lights. "What power?"_

"I'm out of time, Bunnymund." _The voice said. _"We'll meet soon, after I acquire enough power. Hopefully, I won't be too late."

:::

"WAIT!" Bunny's eyes shot open to see Jack's worried face.

"Wait for what?" The prince asked. "You woke me up with your weird noises."

"Frostbite…" The rabbit's pupils adjusted to the sunrise that shined around Jack's head, making him look like an angel.

"It's alright, you're awake now." Jack gave a worried smile. His eyes widened when Bunny pulled him down for a hug, apparently still out of it. "What's up with…?"

"I love you, Jack." Bunnymund whispered clearly in Jack's ear.

"I-I love you too, Bunny…" The young man said, finding a more comfortable angle. "Don't worry about…" Now the Pooka pulled Jack and himself up to a sitting position, making sure their eyes were locked.

"Please…" Bunny wanted to make Jack stay here or at the palace just to be safe, but it was going to be fruitless. Besides, if he actually locked the prince away somewhere and made him stay behind, Jack would be absolutely pissed and not talk to him for months. "We… have to be careful when we go today." He lightly gripped his arms. "You need to stay with me at all times, and remember the fighting techniques and formations we practiced."

"Bunny…" Jack was worried about his husband's behavior. The rabbit's dream must have been the worst one yet; either that or they were just finally getting to him. "Of course I will. I'll stick with you. Promise."

"Good onya." Bunny pulled Jack in for another embrace. His past three nightmares flashed in his mind. He was going to make sure those things will never happen.

:::

After the goodbyes to his family, Bunnymund created a tunnel and he and Jack carefully walked out of it. They were close to that area in his dreams. "I think the coast is clear." Bunny sniffed and listened for anything unusual.

"Well, aren't we trying to find the Pookas and not hide from them?" Jack asked. The rabbit didn't answer out loud, but he had this awful suspicion that these Pookas were six-armed beasts; if his tribe and the Wakgala Tribe weren't monsters, then this tribe might be. But they weren't when the tribes split up 250 years ago… it was all so confusing: his dreams, the evidence from Jarli… nothing was adding up. "Earth to Bunny!" Jack poked the rabbit in the arm with his staff.

"Huh? Oh, sorry love." Bunny rubbed his arm. "But keep your voice down…" He turned his ear towards the sound of shifting leaves and breaking twigs. He sniffed the air; a familiar scent lingered in it. "They're around here." He whispered.

"WHOA!" Jack yelled, seeing an arrow shoot past his face and into a tree behind him. They were already being attacked!

"Shield!" Bunny cued the prince to create a dome of thick ice around them as they crouched down, preventing the storm of arrows from hitting them. "Is it them?!"

"What should we do?" The young man held tightly onto his staff.

"Let's wait until they come closer and stop firing." Bunnymund gazed through the ice, not seeing anyone yet. "Then we come out with our hands up, saying we don't want to fight."

"You sure that'll work?"

"If not, we'll just beat the shit outta them while they're in close range." He winked at Jack, knowing he liked his badass side. Jack just smiled and nodded. After a while the archers were indeed coming closer and holding their fire.

"What is this?!" One of the archers asked. "Why is there a big block of ice here? Show yourselves, cowards!"

"Please, we don't want to fight." Bunny said through a small viewport in the ice. He let out a sigh of relief, seeing that the archers were normal Pookas and not six-armed monstrosities. These were the Eastern Pookas: They had dark-colored fur and fiery tribal tattoos and messy sideburns. They had belts for tools and weapons and quivers around their backs. Though they weren't six-armed beasts, they were far more muscled than normal Pookas. "It's alright now, Jack." The prince hesitantly melted the ice, the Pookas drawing their bows again until they saw Bunny.

"Wh-What? A Pooka?!" They started mumbling among themselves.

"Yes, I'm E. Aster Bunnymund of the tribe in the west." He introduced himself. "My tribe and the Northern tribe wish to join with yours in peace." There was more mumbling that followed, all of the Pookas sounding confused. "I'm sorry, is there a problem?"

"It's just… strange, brother…" One of them said. "We were going to come to you so that we could do the same very soon."

"Struth?" Bunny and Jack looked at each other in confusion.

"Yes, I'm assuming you wish to join our cause?" That one asked. Bunny was about to reply with another question until another Pooka drew his bow again and pointed it at the prince.

"Shut up, you idiots!" The armed one said to his colleagues. "Don't speak in front of the human!" He turned to Bunny. "Brother… Bunnymund, was it? What are you doing with this human? Did he create that ice? Is he hurting you?!" The rest of them drew their bows as well.

"What, no!" Bunny moved in front of his husband. "This is Jack. He's the…" He stopped to think for a moment. Even though they live in the kingdom (on occasion) it seems like they never heard of Prince Jackson or their infamous marriage before and they were obviously quite hostile towards humans. He figured it would be best not to tell them Jack was royalty, but he would tell them something more important. "He's my mate." He took Jack's hand and squeezed it roughly, silently telling Jack not to speak.

"Mate?" The Pookas sniffed the air around them, realizing it was true; the boy was marked. "Y-You are with a human?! The Western Tribe let you mate with one?"

"Actually, I'm the first in my tribe to do so…" Bunnymund smiled awkwardly at Jack, who seemed to be angry about this conversation. "But they are accepting. And if you can't be, then we will leave." They all paused for a moment.

"Hold on, we need to talk." One warrior motioned for the rest to huddle up a few feet from their visitors. Jack was about to whisper-yell at Bunny for not letting him say a word in edgewise, until he felt the rabbit's claw tap the palm of his hand in patterns. He recognized this as a code he learned from his husband in case they got into a situation like this where they couldn't talk out loud to each other. Jack wasn't fluent yet, but he could make out the important words.

_It's better that they don't know who you are yet. _Bunny was basically saying. _There's something weird going on here. We need to find out their 'cause.'_

_Got it. _Jack replied simply.

"Very well, the human… I mean your mate… can come. However…" One of the Pookas pointed to Jack's staff. "We will be confiscating that."

"What? Why?" The young man asked.

"It's how you wield that ice magic, yes? We will not be having any of that. Hand it over!" He held out his paw. Jack gave an incredulous look to his husband. These Pookas really had no idea who he was or how his powers work. Bunny nodded to Jack, and he handed over his staff, pretending he was nervous to lose it. The Pooka snatched it from his hand. "Thank you. Now Brother, you may come and meet our leader, Tanami. He will be happy to hear of your alliance."

"By the way, how did you hear of our cause?" Another Pooka asked suspiciously as they walked to the mountains. Once again, Bunny needed to think of the right thing to say here.

"Honestly, we haven't." Bunnymund said. They all stopped to look at him. "This is all purely a coincidence, mates. My tribe and the Northern tribe simply wish to reunite and tie our bonds back together. But whatever cause it is you are fighting for, we will gladly fight with you." The Pookas looked at each other warily.

"We will see, Brother." One of them said in a concerned tone. They continued to lead their guests into the mountains where they soon came upon a cave mouth. They went inside, their eyes adjusting to the dim light. The inside of the cave seemed to be carved out into many 'rooms' and a main hallway connecting them, like a floor in a building. As they walked by each room they could hear gasps and mumbling voices before seeing the Pookas crowd in each doorway, all looking menacingly at Jack and curiously at Bunny.

"I really don't like this." The prince whispered. "The Wakgala Tribe would stare, but not like this. I mean, if looks could kill…"

"Don't worry, love." Bunny protectively wrapped his arm around his husband's shoulders. "But I know I'm gonna have to speak to the leader alone, so just keep your wits about ya and yell if you need me." Bunny tried to be reassuring, but he too was very worried. They really hate humans here, so their 'cause' is most likely to be against them. He needed to talk with the leader to clarify; he didn't want to jump to conclusions.

"Chief Tanami!" The guards finally found him in one of the rooms. "He have guests, Big Brother."

"Guests?" They heard a slithery voice from the room. "What do you mean?" Tanami stepped out into the hall. He was tall and muscular with red fur and black tribal fire tattoos. He had deep scars on his body. He looked more like a fox than a rabbit. His eyes were gold and vicious, but lit up when he saw Bunnymund. "Oh, a Pookan Brother! What a coincidence; we were coming to meet you! I am Tanami, the chief."

"Yeah, so I've heard." Bunny bowed his head politely. "I'm E. Aster Bunnymund, and this is my mate, Jack." He made sure to emphasize that point, holding his husband's shoulders tight.

"Mate? A human? You mean…?" Tanami looked like he was about to vomit.

"They're lovers, Big Brother." An archer said. "Apparently, it's permitted in his tribe. He is the only one who has done so." There was an awkward pause in the air.

"I see." Tanami rubbed his hands together and cleared his throat. "Well then, Bunnymund, Jack, welcome to our tribe." The archers told the chief the rest of the story. "Amazing! Truly a coincidence, or maybe fate itself! Come, we can talk elsewhere."

"Actually, I'd like to speak with you alone, if ya don't mind." Bunny felt Jack quiver.

"That is… just fine." Tanami turned to one of the archers. "Take the hu… I mean Jack… to the ice cave. From what I've learned you seem to like chilly places, right?"

"Yeah, thanks." Jack could use some cooling off anyway. He felt Bunny tap on his shoulder in code.

_If ya need me, just yell._ Bunny gave a deadly look to the archer assigned with Jack's care.

"Right. Bunnymund, I look forward to learning about your… customs, and I can't wait to show you mine." Tanami led Bunny down the hall.

"Me too, mate." Bunnymund fought the knot he felt in his stomach as he saw Jack walk in the other direction, his beautiful blue eyes full of fear he hadn't seen since Pitch had entered his nightmares. "Me too."

:::

**A/N**: Hi, remember me? Happy after-Halloween! Things are getting cult-y around here, huh? Just to clarify, in my story, Jack doesn't need the staff to perform ice magic. If anyone has any questions, ask! See you later!

**Tsuji**: This. Is. Amazing. New fan here. Took me long enough, I know... (still face palming at myself for that). I have to say, I've read this and the first Ice Curse in essentially one day and so far it's looking wonderful to me. Keep at it, don't let the Jackrabbit ship sink! :D *cheers* And if you're still doing that Q&amp;A thing... well: What are your favorite videogames? Have you ever read Pandora Hearts and, if yes, what do you think of it? Favorite clothes? Have you ever eaten passion fruit mousse? What time do you usually wake up at morning(/afternoon)? Sherlock or Elementary? Aaaaaaand... (wait for it) where do you live?

**Answer**: Hello! It's been a long time since I got questions! I love videogames: Spyro the Dragon (the first trilogy) was my first way back when, so it's my favorite of all time. I love Prince of Persia, Metal Gear Solid, Dirge of Cerberus, Portal, Rock Band… I could go on and on. I haven't read Pandora Hearts, but it looks interesting! I just watched DRAMAtical Murder, Love Stage, Kuroshitsuji: Book of Circus, Sailor Moon Crystal and Tokyo Ghoul, all of which are good! Pajamas are my favorite clothes, but professionally I like anything with graphics and/or a hint of goth. Never had passion fruit mousse but it sounds sexy delicious. I have a weird sleeping pattern: I get up around 7AM, eat breakfast, wash dishes and go back to sleep around 7:30AM, wake up again around 2:30PM, and don't go to bed again till 2:30AM. I'm addicted to sleep. Elementary got boring after Season 1 and honestly it's a dumbed-down version of Sherlock. When I saw Sherlock for the first time, I was like, 'this puts all other versions to shame.' Aaaand… I live in your basement, of course. Lol. Thanks for being a fan!

Taru-chan


	9. Chapter 8

Ice Curse 2: Pookan Bane

Chapter 8

:::

"I find it interesting that you married a human, Bunnymund." Tanami said as they walked to an opening in the cave where the sun shone down on them intensely. It was big enough to be a gymnasium. "Even though they have been the bane of our existence for three hundred years."

"I can assure ya, Jack is not like that." Bunny stated, looking up to see that the Moon was also high in the sky today. "And I would ask ya to please treat him with respect. Where were you taking him exactly?"

"To our ice cave. It's a… refrigerator, of sorts." The chief gestured for his visitor to follow him to the next cave, which was pitch dark inside compared to the open ceiling of this one. "I put him there so he will be safe from the others, so don't worry. I don't want us getting off on the wrong foot already."

"I appreciate that, and I agree." Bunny still kept his ears open for Jack's voice.

"So tell me, Brother…" Tanami entered the dark room and Bunny followed, his eyes straining after the constant adjustment to light. "How much do you know about Pookan history?"

"Actually, I just learned a lot about it from the Northern Tribe." Bunny's ears lowered. "Though most of it isn't good."

"True. Our strength taken from us mysteriously, the humans invading our land and killing our kind mercilessly…"

"So you do know of the six-armed form." Bunny confirmed.

"Yes, and I have wonderful news." Tanami lit a few torches, and finally Bunnymund could see that they were in some sort of laboratory with bottles, beakers and syringes filled with light green fluid. The other side of the lab was barred off with a Pooka inside the large cell by himself. His ears perked up when the torches were lit. "We are able to become our true forms again." He grabbed a syringe and squeezed it slightly, green fluid shooting out of the needle.

"Does that…?" Bunny took several steps back, not able to finish the question.

"Fyra…" The chief called for the caged Pooka. "Ready to show our new friend our treasure?"

"Yes, Big Brother." Fyra came to the steel bars and held out his arm. Tanami injected him with the fluid, and he immediately began to change. He clutched himself, feeling familiar pain as his body grew quickly and unnaturally, now twice the size he was before. His sides twitched and bubbled before limbs started to grow from them, two on each side. He roared and slammed all his fists against the bars, bending them significantly.

"We always need to replace those." Tanami referred to the cage. "We have traveled secretly for many years, finding a way to restore our powers. Finally, we discovered way through science and magic – I won't bore you with details – and we can turn into our true selves. We perfected it so we could still keep our wits about us while in this form. Fyra, what's two plus two?"

"Four." Fyra responded with a deeper voice.

"You see? Brains and brawn." Tanami's brow furrowed. "The only thing we haven't perfected is the permanence. We can't get it to last longer than an hour. However, we want it to last forever, so we can achieve our goal."

"Wh-What goal?" The whole time, Bunnymund was trying to listen to what the chief said, but it was hard with all the emotions running through him and his mind racing with thoughts and questions.

"To take back our land, Bunnymund, and kill all the humans that live in it."

:::

"So…" Jack thought he'd start a conversation with the Pooka leading him to the ice cave. "Has a human ever lived this long in your presence?"

"Quiet, human!" The Pooka yelled. "The only reason you're alive is because you are married to one of our own." Right, so that's not going to happen. Jack kept quiet until they climbed up a flight of stairs to reach the cold and dark cave. "Get in there and I'll stand right here."

"You're not going to turn on the lights for me?" The young man asked.

"There aren't any in there. Go." The Pooka ordered. As he said that, though, Jack thought he saw a smirk tug at the usually serious animal's face. Jack shrugged and went in, knowing that he could freeze these bastards if they tried something. He blinked a few times, adjusting to the darkness. He saw this place was used as a refrigerator for their fruits and vegetables, but didn't smell like food in here, it smelled like chemicals, wood and… something gross. Jack stepped in further, and he thought he saw someone through the darkness.

"Is there anybody in here?" Jack inched closer still, seeing that there was somebody there, a human too, but he wasn't moving or speaking. "Hello…?" He now saw six very still people, looking almost as if they were…

Once Jack was close enough and saw the whole picture, he gasped and screamed in horror and fell to the ground, never feeling so disgusted and scared in all his life.

:::

Minutes before Bunnymund heard that scream, he was trying to negotiate with Chief Tanami. "Look mate, I don't know how long you've been out of the kingdom, but ya don't have to do this. There's a law that was passed two years ago that states no one is allowed to kill Pookas! If they do, they'll be thrown in prison…"

"But not executed, eh?" The chief snidely interrupted, not caring if there was a law or not.

"The king does not believe in the death penalty." Bunny gritted his teeth.

"And you personally know this king?"

"Yes! I met him – peacefully - and we came up with this law together! My family is now able to live in peace! Humans don't bother us anymore." Bunny saw he wasn't convincing his so-called brother. "I can't lie though; the people of the kingdom still don't like or trust us, but those things take time to build…"

"Humans will never trust us! We are too different." Tanami argued. "Do you really think humans will uphold this law for much longer? Time can only work against us Pookas, Bunnymund. We must get to them before they get to us!"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" And then they heard the scream.

"JACK!" Bunny's body instantly reacted, running to find his husband while listening to the echoes of the scream bounce through the maze of caves. He found the flight of stairs and raced up them, seeing the guard that led Jack up here laughing evilly. Bunny growled and grabbed the Pooka, bashing his head against the cave wall and knocking him unconscious, his limp body rolling down the stairs slowly. Bunny found his mate on all fours on the ground, crying and vomiting simultaneously. "Holy shit Jack, what's wrong?!" He kneeled down next to his sick husband.

"Bu-Bun…!" Jack stopped throwing up and wiped his mouth with his sleeve. He turned to embrace his love, squeezing his eyes shut and burying his face into his chest. "Th-They… look…" He sniffled, trying to stop crying and hoping he wouldn't throw up again.

"Look where…?" Bunnymund looked up, seeing the cause of Jack's sickness, and now of his own. There were six humans of varied ages and genders lined up on the back wall, but they were stiff and pale. Bunny recognized this as the "art" of taxidermy; these people were skinned and stuffed with wood, wool and wire and put on display like a mannequin at a clothes shop, except they weren't even wearing clothes. "No…"

"Beautiful, isn't it?" They heard Tanami's voice behind them. "We stuff them just as they stuff us to be used as trophies." It all made sense to Bunny now. He realized what he was forgetting in his search for the Eastern Pookas.

"It was you." Bunny said quietly. "These are the missing people the King told us about. You were the ones who captured them and then… no. No no no…" He held Jack close as he stared hopelessly at the innocent stuffed people. "You're sick. You're all sick!"

"They made us this way, Bunnymund." Tanami said calmly. "It took us 300 long years to figure out a way to get our revenge, but the time is finally here. Unfortunately, since I can't convince you to join us, I'm going to have to get rid of you and your hideous husband, and if I can't convince your family, well…" He shrugged.

"They won't listen to ya, I can guarantee that." Bunny stood up together with Jack and started tapping Jack's back in code, saying _get ready for the fog maneuver._ "We're gonna stop ya."

"I'd like to see how you plan on doing that." The chief held up the potion-filled syringe in his hand. "This might only last an hour, but that's all the time we'll need to rip across this kingdom and destroy everything in our path." He started walking forward. "And I'm going to give you a demonstration…"

"NOW!" Bunny yelled, and the prince used his powers to create a burst of snow and fog, temporarily blinding Tanami so they could run past him down the stairs. "This way, Jack!" He said as they ran to the open ceiling gymnasium, remembering that no one was in that area except…

"RRRRRAAWWRRRRRRR!" They heard a roar come from that dark laboratory, and they stopped dead in their tracks. The six-armed Pooka named Fyra came out of the shadows, snorting and growling, his glowing eyes fixed on Jack. Tanami was smart enough to release the beast, knowing they would try to run.

"Jack, fly out…!" Before Bunny could finish, before he even turned his eyes toward Jack, Fyra attacked at light speed, grabbing the young man and holding him by the neck. "NO!" Bunny was about to pull out his boomerangs until he was attacked himself, getting pounced on and pinned to the ground by another six-armed beast that came from the opposite direction. "Let go!" He tried getting free but it was absolutely no use; just two of those arms are stronger than his whole body. He looked over at Jack, who was trying to slow down his strangulation by freezing Fyra's arms, but Fyra just kept breaking the ice and eventually grabbed Jack's wrists with another pair of hands, holding them out to the sides. The prince could still slow him down by just emitting frost and ice from his skin, but he was losing consciousness as less blood could enter his brain.

"I hate to do this to a Brother, really I do." Tanami came into view, showing Bunnymund the empty syringe before tossing it over his shoulder. "Kill the human first, and make it painful."

"No, NO!" Bunnymund was bruising himself to the bone trying to escape. Jack could no longer breathe and the life was leaving his eyes, his face paler than ever. _Please no… Jack, please…_

"Won't he make the prettiest trophy, Bunnymund?" Tanami laughed, not truly hating doing this at all.

"No, no, no…" Bunny kept saying that, not knowing what else to do. He was losing: losing his husband, his family, his hope. All he could do now is… he looked up and saw the Moon, still high in the sky. _Please…_ he started to pray to the Man in the Moon. _Don't let Jack go like this. Don't let these monsters destroy this kingdom! Give me the strength… you said you could give me power, so please, before…!_ He looked over at his beloved husband, his eyes closed and his skin no longer emitting ice to protect himself. "Jack?" He didn't get a response. "JACK?!" Bunny cried, his vision blurry with tears. His mind was breaking, and his heart was pounding. And then he felt hot, his skin prickling and his fur sticking up. He looked up again, the Moon brighter and shining down harshly on him. He yelled as he felt pain in his bones and muscles, feeling as if they were getting bigger. The pain went to his sides, his skin pulsating like it was going to burst.

"What's happening?" Tanami stepped back, watching as a beam from the Moon curved around his six-armed brother to strike Bunny's body. "Don't let him go!" He ordered his brother, but it was getting harder for him to do so. The moonbeam was giving Bunny power… the power to transform. Bunny felt the pain in his sides get worse as four extra limbs sprouted from them and his body become much bigger and stronger. He let out a trembling roar, grabbed the other Pooka and threw him across the room easily. "NO! Get him!" The chief couldn't believe his eyes. How could a Pooka transform without the potion?

"Yes, Brother!" Fyra let Jack go and ran to tackle Bunnymund. Bunny jumped high to dodge and landed on Fyra's back, using all six arms to break Fyra's neck and kill him instantly. The other Pooka was back on his feet and began charging for Bunny, but this one wasn't as dumb as Fyra and decided to try martial arts techniques instead. After only dancing for a few seconds, Bunny found an opening, grabbed all six arms and broke them simultaneously, and before he could scream Bunny reached up to snap his neck as well. He roared victoriously, standing above his kill and clenching all six of his fists. He felt so powerful, like he could conquer anything… he heard a loud gasp followed by violent coughing.

"Jack?" Bunny's demeanor changed immediately. He turned around, seeing his mate trying to get air into his lungs after falling on the ground popped his windpipe back into place. "Bonza mate, you're alive!" He felt tears in his eyes again as he ran to his side, holding his head up gently.

"Bunny?" Jack wheezed and opened his eyes, gasping in surprise at his husband's new look. "Is that really you?!"

"What?" Bunny didn't like the look of distress in Jack's eyes. He gazed down at himself, not realizing what happened until now. He stepped away from Jack, afraid of his new form.

"Impossible!" They turned to Tanami. "We've been trying for years to transform on our own, and you of all of us can do it on a whim?!" He whistled. "Brothers! Hurry and capture him!"

"Now's our chance!" Bunny grabbed Jack, made a tunnel with his foot (he still had the itumite around his neck) and jumped down and closed it before Tanami's guards could arrive. When they were safe in the tunnel, Bunny let go and stepped away from the prince, letting him catch his breath some more. "How're ya doin', Frostbite?"

"My neck's a little sore…" Jack rolled his head around gently, feeling the deep choking marks with his hand. "But I'll be okay, thanks to you." Jack looked his now six-armed husband up and down. "How did you do that?"

"I don't know!" Bunny answered quickly, looking down at himself in disgust. "That bastard didn't prick me with a needle, so…" He sighed. "All I did was pray, Jack. I asked for strength to save you, and I got it."

"Pray? You mean… to the Man in the Moon?" Jack cracked a smile and walked toward his mate. "Bunny…"

"No Jack, stay away!" Bunnymund scurried away from the young man. "I killed those Pookas without a second thought. I was about to completely lose my mind back there. In this state, I don't know what I'm capable of." His back hit the wall and he exhaustedly leaned against it, his ears drooping.

"Aster…" Jack said, making sure his husband was listening. "The Man in the Moon wouldn't give you that power if he didn't trust you with it. And you had one thing on your mind: saving the people you love." Bunny's ears twitched as he listened to his young but wise husband. "I'm not scared of you. You saved my life – again – so how could I be?" He slowly stepped closer and put a gentle hand on Bunny's chest. Bunny finally looked him in the eyes. "I love you."

"I love you too, ya beauty." Bunny let Jack hug him, and he hugged back carefully with one arm. "I don't know how to get back to normal, though."

"If you can't, I won't care. You're not ugly or anything." Jack smirked up at him. "Besides, I can think of some good uses for those four extra arms." He winked.

"Oh come on, mate." Bunny did not want to think about that right now. "We gotta stop the Eastern Tribe before they kill any more humans."

"But how?" Jack asked. "They're too powerful, even for soldiers with weapons."

"I don't know, but I need to tell my family about this…" Bunnymund looked at himself again. "But then they'll see me like this, too…"

"Hey, remember what I said." The prince scolded. "But, they will definitely be surprised. Look, I'll pop out of the tunnel first and tell them what happened, okay?"

"Hmph, alright mate." Again, Bunnymund asked himself what he'd do without his husband.

:::

**A/N**: Happy 2nd anniversary of RotG, everybody! I wanted to finish this chapter before I went on vacate, but… yeah. A lot of stuff happening, huh? If anybody has questions, please feel free to ask!

Taru-chan


	10. Chapter 9

Ice Curse 2: Pookan Bane

Chapter 9

:::

Bunnymund opened the tunnel for Jack, and he flew out to greet the Western and Northern Pookas and quickly tell them what happened. Bunny stayed in the tunnel, nervously fixing his now too tight bandolier and hiding in the darkness and mentally preparing himself for his family's reactions as he was waiting for Jack to finish. He knew he had nothing to worry about, really; his family would love him no matter what and they'd still be proud and all that, but he wasn't proud of himself right now. He spent all his life learning to fight, getting stronger and faster all the time… only to get his ass handed to him by six-armed monsters, and the only way to defeat them was to become a monster himself? It is humiliating and disappointing.

"Bunny?" Jack called. "You can come up, now." Bunny took a deep breath and slowly came out of the tunnel. Naturally, everyone gasped a little. Bunny's mother and sister came up to him.

"My dear son." Dahlia cupped her son's upset face.

"I'm alright, Mother." Bunny smiled slightly. "But the people of this kingdom are in danger. We gotta do something."

"But what?" Bergamot stepped up. "If they're as strong as you say, how can we stand against them? We'll be ripped apart in seconds!"

"But, is it possible for us to acquire the powers that Bunnymund has?" Jarli asked. "If he was not injected with potion as you said, Your Highness, then was that power inside him all along? Maybe inside all of us?"

"_You are correct, Jarli."_

"That voice…" Bunny said. "Did you hear that?"

"Yes, but who said that?" Dahlia asked. Everyone saw a bright beam of light come down from the Moon, projecting an image of a small man with a single curl on the top of his head and wearing a cream-colored suit. It looked as if he stood on the ground like the rest of them. The Pookas looked at the projection in shock.

"The Man in the Moon!" Jack quickly kneeled in respect for his god.

"_There's no need for that, Jack." _The Man in the Moon shook his head. _"I am finally able to give this message to you all personally."_

"Y-You're real." Bunnymund stuttered. "You gave me this power. You sent me all those nightmares."

"_Yes."_ Manny replied. _"I'm not as good as Pitch or the Sandman, but I needed to warn you of the danger somehow. I can only make projections like this during a full moon. But as for your power, I simply unlocked it from inside you. I did not give it to you… well, I suppose I gave it back."_

"So, you are the reason our forms were changed three hundred years ago?" Bunny asked.

"_Yes, it is my doing." _Manny said solemnly. _"All those years ago, I watched as your kind trampled your way across continents, destroying every living animal in their path. Then, when they met the humans in a bloody massacre, I could no longer stand the violence and decided to do something about it. I changed them into gentler creatures with intelligence and locked the beast away inside each Pooka's heart. I thought I was doing the right thing…" _He hung his head in shame. _"But the humans did not react the way I'd hoped, and then they became the murderers instead. I simply didn't want there to be any more useless violence, but my meddling made it worse. I am no god, Jack. I am just a wizard, a man, who has made foolish mistakes. I apologize to each and every one of you." _The Pookas looked at each other.

"Thank you, mate. I think we can all accept your apology." Bunny nodded, and everyone else did, too. "But what are we supposed to do about those Eastern Pookas? I can't take them all on myself."

"_That is why I'm here, Bunnymund. I have come to unlock the power in all of you." _The magician said. _"But in order for my spell to work so that you do not become violent creatures again, I need your help. You must all think of who or what you want to protect with your life. You must feel it in your hearts like Bunnymund did when I transformed him." _Bunny's ears lowered in embarrassment.

"That's almost like what I said." Jack took one of Bunny's hands in his own.

"_Yes, and now you must all do the same!" _The Man in the Moon summoned moonbeams to shine down on all the Pookas, and they started to feel the same burning pain that Bunny did a while ago. _"Bear with the pain. Keep thinking of your loved ones!" _The Pookas closed their eyes, groaning in pain but holding each other's hands, not letting their minds stray from their common thought. The ones who kept their focus the best transformed first, but soon they were all able to do it. They looked at each other in awe, but not without a tinge of worry and fear. _"Good work, everybody."_ Manny hunched over, his magic energy slightly drained. _"But now you must go. The Eastern Pookas are about to attack the closest village to their cave. I hope that you will succeed in stopping them." _His projection faded away and the moonbeams flew back up to where they belonged.

"This is bloody awesome!" Bergamot admired himself. "But we still need a plan."

"We have an advantage." Jarli took off his robe, since it was torn by his transformation. "We have itumite and they don't. We can use them in our fight. Maybe, we won't have to fight at all. We could trap them in the tunnels we make."

"And we need to get the villagers to safety." Bunnymund said, turning to his husband. "Jack, they will trust ya the most. Will you lead a few of us to save them?"

"Absolutely." Jack agreed.

"I wanna help Jack, too!" Violet said, her cute personality showing through her darker appearance. Dahlia put a paw on Jack's shoulder, silently offering her help too.

"Struth." Bunny looked around at his tribe, all of them determined and ready for battle. "Come on!"

:::

The Pookas ran through the tunnels heading to the village. They realized that they were much faster than before as they galloped with all eight of their limbs. They found the village, seeing that their rivals were already there. The soldiers who were there investigating the disappearances weren't faring well against the beasts. Bunny cursed himself for being late. Looking above, he saw a family about to be attacked by a Pooka. He jumped out of the tunnel and caught the enemy before he could pounce on the humans, pinning him down hard. "Hurry up and run!" Bunny yelled at the family, who were just frozen in fear, not sure if they could trust another six-armed beast.

"Follow me!" Jack flew out of the tunnel next with Violet. The people gasped, wondering what their prince was doing here. "It's gonna be alright. Some of these guys are our friends." He gestured for Violet to use the itumite she was given earlier to make a tunnel. "Please, we have to hurry!" The people gladly listened to their prince and they went down the tunnel with Violet. "Be careful, Bunny." He said before flying off to go convince the other villagers.

"No worries, love." Bunnymund grunted, making a new tunnel to shove the rival Pooka into, closing it quickly. This was a wonderful idea; he never thought about using the itumite this way. The Northern Pookas were more skilled going from tunnel to tunnel with the magical rock. Jarli needed to quickly explain how the itumite works as they ran to the village. Each hole made is its own new portal, meaning they can never meet or cross each other through the ground. The portal cannot be opened by someone who doesn't have the itumite, which means the Eastern Pookas they trap inside can't get out until the one who made the portal opens it from the other end. But they needed to be careful, because each stone can only make one portal at a time, and Bunny already used his and shouldn't open it again until the potion wears off. So, he would help others trap their enemies in tunnels, trying to get more than one Pooka in each hole since they had a limited number of itumite stones. The Eastern Pookas had an unnatural, neon glow in their eyes from the potion, making it easier to distinguish them from his friends. Soon, every evil Pooka was trapped in a tunnel. "Are the villagers safe?" Bunny asked.

"Few didn't make it, but most of them have been evacuated safely." Jarli was the first to answer. "They should be waiting at your family's home, Bunnymund." Jack should be with them too, explaining everything to them. "All we have to do is wait for them to change back."

"No." Bunny sniffed the air and turned his ears about. "That wasn't all of them, and their 'chief' wasn't here, either."

"ACK!" A Pooka shouted in pain and they all turned to see him shot with an arrow. Immediately after, a storm of arrows shot from the trees and bushes, the Pookas doing their best to dodge them with their faster bodies. Some were fatally wounded but most were okay. The raining arrows ceased and Tanami stepped out of the forest to show himself.

"That's him, the bastard." Bunny's fur stood on end and growled. He couldn't smell them because they were downwind.

"How…" Chief Tanami was also in six-armed form, holding a sword in each hand. "How are you able to transform?! And how did you escape and make all those holes in the ground?! It's not fair!" He was not cool and collected like a leader should be.

Believe it or not, mate…" Bunnymund replied. "The Man in the Moon took away our powers three hundred years ago because of our reckless violence on other beings, just like what you bludgers are doing right now. He gave them back just now, but only to the ones who deserved them. And as for the hole-making…" He looked over at his fellow Pookas and winked at them. "It's an added bonus." He lied while his friends nodded.

"You think I'm a fool? A man, living up there?" Tanami pointed to the glowing full Moon. Bunny knew he was watching. "I'll rip the truth from you. Brothers!" The archers in the bushes came out. They too were six-armed and had a bow and arrow in each pair of hands. "Let's go!" The archers released another storm before disappearing again into the forest. The other Pookas needed to dodge the arrows again, but they were better at it this time.

"They're going back to their cave!" Bunny shouted when the wind stopped and he could smell the bastards again.

"We must stop them before they get more potion!" Jarli said, pulling an arrow out of his shoulder. "They probably have potion on them already!"

"Then let's hurry the hell up!" Bergamot shouted, starting his charge through the woods. Everyone else followed, heading up into the trees. Arrows still flew at them; the Eastern Pookas were impressively able to run through the trees and shoot arrows at the same time. But still, doing two things at once will slow anyone down, and the Pookas were catching up to their enemies steadily. Bunnymund kept his senses going, trying to find Tanami in all this mess. After a good while of dodging arrows he finally found him, and his focus narrowed right to him, jumping on him from behind and knocking them both out of the trees. Bunny rolled away from him and stood, watching Tanami use his swords to stand.

"Imma give ya one last chance." Bunnymund huffed. "You can come with me to the city and be arrested properly, and you'll be allowed to live."

"Again, you think me a fool?" Tanami readied his swords. "I will never be imprisoned by humans."

"Careful what ya say, mate." Bunny took out his boomerangs. They were smaller in his hands now so it was awkward, not to mention leaving his other four hands free. "The other option for you is death, and I don't like killin'."

"And you lie to me again." The corrupt chief grinned. "You seemed to thoroughly enjoy slaughtering my brothers no more than an hour ago. After all, it's in our nature."

"Don't you start with twisted mind games. I ain't buyin' them."

"Fine. After I kill you, I'll learn your secret from one of your weaker allies." Tanami charged at Bunny and he threw a boomerang, still not quite used to his bigger paws and missed his intended target: one of those equipped hands. Bunny had to dodge his swings instead. "I've had more training in this marvelous body than you, Bunnymund." He noticed his struggle.

"I'm a fast learner, mate." Bunny retorted, catching the boomerang and getting some space between him and the chief. But it was true; he wasn't sure how to deal with six swords, since two was plenty to worry about. Tanami came in for another attack, and Bunny needed to dance around him again, looking for a clear shot for his rangs or better yet, his hands. Bunny threw a rang at close range, hitting the chief's middle right wrist and knocking the sword out of that paw. Yes, he could do this. He just needed to do it five more times, or at least dance around like this till the potion runs out. As far as Bunny could tell, the only equipment Tanami had on his person was a six-sword holder wrapped around his back. There were no pockets and no glowing green lights coming from him except for his murderous eyes. They fought around each other for a long time, with Bunny occasionally getting a hit and Tanami flipping around to pick up his fallen weapons. They were too evenly matched, at least in combat. Bunny needed to use his brain, to think of a strategy…

"Gah, I don't have time for this!" Tanami barked, getting out of range and starting to run to the tribe's cave.

"No!" Bunnymund chased him. Suddenly, the chief stopped and turned around, wielding his swords quickly and Bunny only had seconds to dodge, still getting cut across his shoulders, chest and stomach slightly. He gasped in pain and fell to the ground, hearing swords whip next to his head, getting ready to finish him.

"Hoo-hoo! You actually fell for that stupid trick!" Tanami laughed. "I'll kill you, stuff you, and stand you next to your precious husband's stuffed body. Won't that be nice?" He pulled his arms back, and Bunny acted quickly, tapping his foot on the ground twice and opening his tunnel in between them. As soon as Tanami thrust his swords forward, the Pooka that Bunny trapped a while ago leaped out quickly, but Tanami could not stop his forward motion in time and his swords pierced through his Brother. At the same time, Bunnymund shuffled back so he wouldn't get stabbed too, then jumped in the air and flipped over the two and behind the chief before he could even scream in anger because of Bunny's trick. Bunny grabbed his head and twisted it, breaking his neck and killing him instantly. This all happened in a span of seconds.

"I was already two steps ahead of you, mate." Bunnymund took a deep breath, looking at the two dead Pookas before him. He wasn't proud of himself. He probably could have thought of a way to defeat Tanami without killing him or that other Pooka. But it's too late, and there's no time to think of that now. It wasn't over; there were still the other Pookas to worry about, and destroying all the potion they had. Bunny sighed again, and grabbed one of the swords Tanami had left in his Brother, flicking the blood off and heading for the cave.

"Bunny!" He heard Jack's voice echo from the mountain's general direction. Then he saw his husband fly through the trees.

"Jack!" Bunny got the prince's attention and he flew to him. "What the hell are ya doing here? You should be safe with my mother and the villagers."

"Like I'm gonna sit around and do nothing while you're in danger." Jack landed, his gaze spotting the dead chief. "Oh good, you got him!"

"Don't look, love." Bunny stepped in front of the bodies so Jack couldn't see them. "Please, don't look at what I did."

"Bunny…" Jack sighed. "I don't think any less of you because you killed a crazed Pooka. Remember what I said before. And remember what the Man in the Moon said." Bunny seemed to look a little less heavy-hearted. "Anyway, you're bleeding, and your Mom said if you were to give you this." Jack pulled a leaf pouch out of his shirt pocket and opened it, revealing a chunky gel with crushed herb leaves inside it. Bunny recognized this as a powerful salve that stops bleeding and kills germs.

"Brilliant mate, could you put it on for me?" Bunny knelt down and clasped his fingers together behind his back.

"What are you doing?" Jack asked, scooping up some gel.

"That medicine is the best in the land, but it hurts like the Devil." Bunny replied, wincing at the mere thought. "Ya gotta hurry mate, we need to help the others."

"Oh, 'we', huh?" The young man quickly swiped the gel across the shoulder cut.

"FUCK!" Bunny shouted, digging his toes into the ground. "A-Actually, now that you're here, I could use your help."

"Of course, Bunny. What's your plan?" Jack put another handful of gel across the rabbit's chest.

"DAMMIT! Why does it have to hurt more than the actual cut?!" Bunnymund cried again. Jack thought it was funny that the strong and proud warrior in front of him whined about stinging medicine like a kid. "We need to destroy all their potion. I'll grab Mottie and the two of us will gun it to the cave, getting rid of all their potion and blowin' up the lab. What I want you to do is seal the cave mouth with ice so no one can get in or out."

"But what about you guys?"

"I'll knock when I'm done. You'll know it." Bunny cursed one more time as the last bit of gel was put across his stomach. "Thanks, love." He was surprised when Jack kissed him hard on the lips for good luck. It reminded him of their first kiss. "I love you too. And don't forget to stay out of reach!"

"Yeah, let's do it!" Jack and Bunny hurried to the mountains, hoping to end this war fast.

:::

**A/N**: Finally, good golly jeez! Happy Holidays, everybody. Once again, if anyone has questions, do ask. Here's some questions answered:

**mason32**: How come the Tanami asking Fyra what two plus two was? That isn't a way to prove that someone is smart... And also, what do they have against the humans if everything was taken care of?

**Answer**: It wasn't to prove he was smart… more to prove that he was of sound mind and could still think like a human or any other anthropomorphic creature. If the answer to two plus two was "RRRAAAAAAWWRR" then the potion wouldn't have worked, you see? The Eastern Pookas do not keep up with the news like the Northern Pookas do. They are out of the loop, and they also travel to other kingdoms, only finding knowledge that suits their needs. And even if the Eastern Pookas knew or now know of the law, it wouldn't stop them from getting the revenge they feel they deserve after 300 years of abuse.

Taru-chan


	11. Chapter 10

Ice Curse 2: Pookan Bane

Chapter 10

:::

Bunnymund and Jack couldn't waste any more time. They ran through the woods and found the clearing, seeing that the fight was still going on. Some archers managed to get transforming potion from the cave and shoot arrow-like syringes to their allies who ran out of time. The fighting would be endless if they kept that up. It seemed that the potion wasn't just to transform the outside, but also acted as an adrenaline shot. Bunny found his brother fighting with the enemy. "Mottie, duck!" He shouted, coming from behind Bergamot and slicing the enemy up with the sword he grabbed from Tanami. Then, he quickly made a hole for the three of them to hop down into.

"Where the hell have you been?!" Bergamot shouted breathlessly.

"He was killing Tanami." Jack didn't like the attitude after they just saved him.

"What, seriously?" Bergamot smirked.

"We're not in the clear yet, obviously." Bunnymund grabbed his brother's shoulders. "Tell me, has anyone even made it into their cave yet?"

"If they did make it in, they didn't come out." Bergamot's ears drooped. "We're getting tired but they keep replenishing their strength with the potion."

"I thought so." Bunny said. "Look, here's my plan. Let's get our allies into my tunnel so we can all infiltrate the cave at the same time and destroy every single vial of potion and the lab. Jack, can you block the cave's entrance with ice so no one can get in or out while we're doing that?"

"No problem." Jack didn't hesitate to answer.

"Onya… just stay out of their reach." Bunnymund naturally didn't want to leave his husband out there with those monsters, but at the same time knew that Jack was a good and smart fighter. He had the best teacher, after all. "Alright, go Jack!" Bunny opened the tunnel for the prince and he flew out in a flash. Bunny then proceeded with his plan, opening the tunnel for every single one of his friends one at a time until they were all underground with him. As he quickly explained his strategy, Jack started to close the cave's entrance with the thickest ice he could create. He was glad it was strong enough; the evil Pookas couldn't break through it or hit Jack with any arrows. Bunnymund led his army into the cave and they split up as best they could, taking down enemies and potions as they saw them.

Bunny went to find the lab, remembering it was past the huge gym-like area. He defeated the guards posted there with some effort, but had no time to relax after. He knew some enemies would get past his companions and hurry to secure their precious lab. He picked up a piece of wood from the fireplace and lit it, using it as a weapon to destroy every beaker, test tube, book and ingredient box. He found some explosive liquid substance and threw it all over, ran out of the room and tossed his torch inside, blowing the room up completely. When the smoke cleared after a while, Bergamot came running into the gymnasium with Jack's staff in one hand.

"I found this. This is Jack's, yeah?" Bergamot asked, while Bunny double-checked the area for potions.

"Yeah." Bunnymund answered simply, remembering it was confiscated from the prince when they first got here. "Were we successful? Where's everyone else?"

"Everyone's cleaning up, mate. We did it. Now all we gotta do is wait."

"Bonza." Bunny went up to his brother, starting their secret handshake, but couldn't do it right because of their extra hands getting tangled up together. They spit out raspberries of laughter. "C'mon, we gotta tell Jack to get his little arse in here." He said, turning to head to the cave entrance.

"BUNNY!" They heard from up above. They saw Jack flying over the open roof of the gymnasium, shooting ice blasts from his palms at unknown targets. "The bastards are climbing the mountainside to get in here! I'm trying to shoot them down and make the mountain slippery, but…"

"Dammit!" Bunny swore. "Everyone, come here now!" He yelled down the halls, hoping his voice carried through. "We need to use my tunnel to escape! HURRY!" His Pookan allies came swiftly, and he opened the tunnel, letting everyone go in before him. Jack dodged a leaping enemy in the air before swooping down through the open roof and landed by his husband's side. They looked up, the ugly Pookas crawling up around the opening like giant, clawed tarantulas. They jumped down into the gymnasium, their hard landings barely leaving scratches on their bodies.

"They should be out of potion by now. Let's get 'em!" Jack took his staff from Bergamot, nodding in thanks. Bunnymund did not want to put his mate in any more danger. If he couldn't handle the beasts before, then…

"Forgive me, Frostbite." Bunny pushed Jack into the tunnel with the others.

"ASTER!"

"I love you." He quickly picked his foot up to shut the portal. He was going to get it after that, if he survived, that is. Bunny was going to keep them busy until their powers gave out. "Your chief is dead. Your plan is foiled. Do you still want to do this?" Bunny asked.

"I think we can all agree…" One of them started. "We're past the point of friendship."

"Have it your way." Bunny drew his boomerangs and Tanami's sword as the monsters came for him. There were at least two dozen, maybe thirty left, but Bunnymund could not afford to let the numbers sway him as he started his battle, dodging every attack he could, and the ones he couldn't he would deal with the pain that came with them. He used his boomerangs to slow a few down at a time (they wouldn't knock them out or even take them to the ground) and he made sure every sword slash was a finishing blow; he wouldn't swing it around aimlessly.

He killed about a dozen, starting to feel the fatigue and the blood loss. The minute he slowed down, he felt a spear pierce his shoulder from behind, then another to his hip from the front, and barely stopping a third go through his heart, grabbing the obsidian spear with a hand and pulling it to the side, stabbing the Pooka with his sword. The bastards pulled the spears out and try to stab him again, but he quickly jumped and flipped away, trying desperately to get his bearings back.

"Hurry, Brothers! We don't have much time!" One of them said, and they charged for Bunny once more. Another one of them started to turn back to normal, the process quick but looking painful and draining and he passed out. He probably took too many potions, or maybe that's just how horrible the side effects are even after one. Bunny wondered how much time he did have; he just needed to get his second win, to keep fighting a little longer until their time was up…

Bunnymund roared, willing himself to keep going, asking his tired body for just a little more strength so he could finish this. The sound shook the mountains, and Bunny charged at his enemies, jumping over them, snapping their necks, dodging, stabbing… he watched as two more turned back to normal and fainted. _C'mon, just a little longer…_ he encouraged himself. He was stabbed again in one of his arms and screamed in pain, but he kept going anyway, cutting that enemy down.

"Dammit, he just won't die!" A Pooka yelled before feeling the pain of the potion wearing off and falling to the ground. Three more Pookas followed suit. _Just three more…!_ Bunny now needed to get his third win and… he heard one of the remaining Pookas snicker and pull out a potion-filled syringe, silently boasting about having one left. He was about to inject it when Bunny's boomerang came in contact with the bastard's hand, knocking the syringe to the floor but it didn't break. The Pooka went to grab it, and while all three were distracted, Bunny swiftly sliced them down for good. He looked around, making sure it was safe, and then trudging over to the glowing syringe, he stomped on it and watched the liquid ooze into the dirt. The last thing he did was re-open his tunnel to let his allies and Jack out. Bunnymund heard his name being called before passing out himself.

:::

"Bunny! You slept long enough. Wake up!"

"Nngh…" Bunnymund opened his eyes, seeing big, beautiful blue ones gazing back. "J-Jack…"

"You fucking idiot." Jack teared up but kept an angry look on his face. "I'm gonna kick your ass when you get better."

"I know… thanks for your concern." He smirked, starting to feel the dull pain all over his body. He looked down, seeing he was all stitched up and covered in salve, but he was still in six-armed form. He looked around, seeing he was back in his tribe's warren, the seniors and children all scurrying around to aid the wounded warriors and the Eastern Pookas were bound in ropes and chains. "How long…?"

"A few hours." Jack answered before he finished asking. "We took all the surviving Pookas prisoner, and we'll deal with their injuries last. We made sure every drop of potion was destroyed. It's over Aster, you did it."

"You always say that, but I never do it alone, love." Bunny sat up carefully. "Besides, it's not over. I still got six arms, and so does everyone else who got them from the Man in the Moon. And we gotta take the prisoners to the castle so they can be properly arrested."

"Is this him?" Jack and Bunny heard someone say in front of them. A middle-aged human man walked up to them alongside Dahlia.

"Yes." She said to him, then smiled at her son. "My brave and strong son. I'm so glad you're alive."

"Aw, Mum…" Bunny pressed his ears to his head.

"Mr. Bunnymund, it's an honor to meet you." The man knelt down before him, taking a paw and shaking it. "I'm Samo, the leader of the village you rescued from those other Pookas."

"It's nice to meet you too." Bunny was surprised that this man shook his hand without fear. "How are your people doin'?"

"Very well, thanks to you. The soldiers and your kind sacrificed yourselves to save the villagers. We owe you our very lives."

"Oh… no, you don't owe us anythin'…" Bunny's ears couldn't press any firmer to his head. "We were only doing what's right."

"We also owe you apologies." Samo said. "Our village used to hunt Pookas. And we are only one of many who did before the law passed… now we see the damage it has caused. Our cruelty brought about their hatred." He nodded his head toward the bound Eastern Pookas. "Now we see that some, if not most Pookas are kind and brave."

"There're bad seeds in every species, mate." Bunny replied. "We can accept your apology, and that's all we need. Thank you."

"Thank you all, too." Samo stood. "We will take our leave now, but if there's ever anything we can do for you, let us know." He bowed slightly to Jack. "Highness." He turned and walked over to his villagers.

"Well, would you look at that." The prince smiled.

"Yeah." Bunny couldn't be happy for long. Now it was time to face the people of the city. He stood weakly, eyeing the Eastern Pookas. "Time to hand them over to yer Father. If I were them, I'd be pretty scared."

:::

**A/N**: I LIIIIIIIIIIIVE! HAPPY FUCKING EASTER! Sorry this chapter took so long. I have no excuse other than my creative juices just weren't flowing. I WILL FINISH THIS. I'M NOT ONE OF THOSE DICKS THAT DOESN'T FINISH FICS AND LEAVES PEOPLE HANGING! There should be one or two chapters left, plus a bonus sex scene after those. I also got back into Naruto after many years (and the need to have Rock Lee be real and be my boyfriend came back as well) so maybe you can look forward to a Gai/Kakashi fic soon. There aren't enough of those in the world. See ya!

\- Taru-chan


	12. Chapter 11

Ice Curse 2: Pookan Bane

Chapter 11

:::

It was a sad parade. The allied Northern and Western Pookas walked through the main street of Santoff Claussen city, heading for the palace. Their captives, the Eastern Pookas, walked in the middle of the group, their paws bound behind their backs and to each other, making sure they couldn't escape. The city folk gasped and cursed at the allied Pookas' still monstrous appearance, saying things like, 'see, I told you they were nothing but beasts' and 'get out of here you disgusting animals'. The only thing that kept them from being physically violent with the Pookas was seeing their beloved prince march in front of them, asking people to clear the way and not to hurt anyone.

Bunnymund kept a straight face, ignoring all the threats and taunts from the people, surprised at how they spoke in front of their prince and outwardly insulted his husband. Bunny gazed over at Jack, who was indeed visibly furious about the comments, but kept quiet, remembering what his husband told him.

They reached the palace steps, and the king and queen came out to see what all the commotion was about. North cursed in Russian and Toothiana put her dainty hands over her mouth. "What is this?" King North called down to his son.

"It's a long story, Father." Jack replied. "A lot happened in just a few days."

"What did?" Queen Toothiana asked.

"A war." Bunnymund answered, stepping forward. "A disgusting, bloody battle."

"Bunny, that is you?!" North went slack-jawed seeing his son-in-law this way.

"_Perhaps I should explain."_ A voice from the sky said. The Man in the Moon's hologram appeared on the steps before everyone. The king, queen and people gasped in shock. The Eastern Pookas, who doubted the Man's existence before, went wide-eyed and nearly peed themselves.

"Man in Moon?!" North and Tooth bowed hastily, and their people followed suit.

"_Please, there's no need for bowing. We're friends, right Nicholas?"_

"Ah, y-yes." The king stood up. Bunny snickered, that image reminding him of his relationship with North; how he bows even though he doesn't need to.

"_I don't have much time. The full moon phase is ending."_ He said before telling the whole story of the Pookas' loss and gain of power, and about the war. As they listened, the citizens' expressions went from angry and hateful to guilty and saddened. The Man in the Moon was riveting in his storytelling, and when he finished, he left everyone in tears. _"So as you can see, Santoff Claussen, there is good and evil in every species, to paraphrase a wise warrior." _He winked at Bunnymund. _"From this day on, I grant the Pookas the power to morph. But they must only use their powers if necessary. They shall not be abused. If one uses his powers for evil, his fellow Pookas must discipline him accordingly. I will no longer meddle with Pookan affairs."_

"How do we change back?" Bunny asked.

"_Yes, I taught you the way to gain the power, now I must tell you how to release it. You must simply think something like, 'My job is done. I have protected the ones I love, now I can rest'."_

"That easy, huh?" Bunny smirked, and closed his eyes, focusing on the release of that power. He thought of Jack and how he protected him, and now that the battle is won, he can return to normal. He felt the four extra arms recede into his body, and he became leaner and shorter, back to the way everyone knew him. He opened his eyes and looked down at his hands, smiling brightly. He turned to his mate and swooped him up in a big hug. Jack laughed and embraced him back. The rest of the allied Pookas did the same, and soon they were all back to normal.

"_Very well. And as for our dark friends… I'm sure you know what to do Nicholas. Until next time!" _The Man in the Moon's hologram vanished and the moonbeam returned to its home.

"Oh yes, I know what to do with them." King North cracked his knuckles. "Fifty years to life in prison!" Growls and complaints could be heard from the Eastern Pookas while everyone else let out a sigh of relief and a light cheer. "After we show them to their new homes, I shall discuss new diplomatic relations with my Pookan guests of honor!" The allied Pookas cheered, and the citizens applauded, but this time, not because they had to. Bunnymund and Jack smiled to each other.

:::

As the meeting took place, Bunny and Jack were ordered to rest after seeing the palace doctor. Bunnymund arrived to their bedroom before Jack, and began removing his bandolier and wrist guards. He heard the door open. "Hey love, how are…" Bunny looked at his husband, who slowly entered the room wearing a neck brace. Their eyes met, and the rabbit couldn't help but laugh at Jack's little pissed face above the huge neck brace.

"Shut up!" Jack whined. "I told the doctor I was fine, but he and Father insisted!" He turned awkwardly to shut the door.

"Well, your windpipe was dislocated, mate. It's to be safe instead of sorry." Bunny looked down at his own bandages. "You're better off than I am, which is always fine with me."

"A normal animal would be dead." Jack shivered, not wanting to think about it. "I'm still mad at you for fighting those beasts yourself. I'm serious, when you're better, I'll…"

"Yeah, yeah, you'll kick my ass." Bunny smirked, stepping over to his mate and looked down at him. "I'd like to see you try."

"Actually, I thought of something more fun to do than simply kick your ass." The prince's eyes narrowed mischievously.

"Now I'm scared." Bunny needed to watch his back. He wasn't all that great at avoiding the damn young man's pranks. "C'mon, let's get some sleep while the leaders discuss diplomatic tripe."

"Okay." The husbands got in their bed awkwardly due to their medical restraints. They laughed at each other. "Bunny?"

"Yeah, mate?"

"Will the eggs really be ready by next year?"

"Of course they will. Why?"

"No reason, just… I have a good feeling about it."

"Struth? Well… all we can do is hope."

:::

Spring came the next year warmer and greener than ever. King North and the Pookas decided that on the spring Sunday that hosted the full Moon would be a holiday to celebrate the alliance of the species. Today was that Sunday, their first holiday. They would call it Easter after Bunny's first initial and middle name. It was also the day when Jack and Bunny's idea of painting and hiding animated eggs would finally be shared with the city. Bunnymund was nervous as he stood next to his royal family and his Pookan family while standing on the steps of the palace in front of the citizens. "That little girl Sophie is here." Jack pointed to her, standing with her mother and brother in the front row.

"And she's starin' at me again." Bunny gulped, looking down at the painted, butterfly-patterned egg in his paws.

"You painted that for her, didn't you?" The prince nudged his husband.

"No I didn't." Bunny lied, but his wilting ears told the truth.

"Uh-huh." Jack put an arm around his husband's shoulders. "Just like I didn't create a masterpiece for you that time."

"Dammit Jack, you're not helping my situation here!" He whisper-shouted. A year ago, when Bunny nearly sacrificed himself to save his prince and people, Jack said he would get him back, and by the Moon he did. A few months after, while the rabbit was sleeping bandage-free, the prince ice-lasered (that's right, ice-lasered) the fur off his back, spelling the term "JACK'S KANGAROO" with bald skin. And the little 21-year-old brat still bragged about it. Luckily, the fur has grown back by now.

All this time King North had been giving a speech, and now he was finally finished. "Bunny, you may continue." North said, nudging him forward. Bunny stumbled and looked out at his massive audience. He didn't have a speech; he was just going to simply give the egg in his hand to a child of his choice. It didn't make him any less nervous, though.

Bunnymund made eye contact with Sophie, the child he would give the egg to (Jack had guessed correctly). He inhaled slowly and walked awkwardly down the steps and toward her, them now twenty feet apart. He crouched down and shyly held out the egg, smiling. Sophie hadn't been sure what to do. She looked up at her mother, who had told her previously not to go near 'it', but today, her mother nodded in approval, letting go of her little hand so she could walk up to the Pooka. Sophie didn't take the egg at first; instead, she came close to Bunny and ruffled her fingers into his furry sideburns, finally satisfying her curiosity of the creature. She delicately scratched his nose, and he laughed, wondering who the cute one was supposed to be here. He brought his hand between them, the egg hopping up and down in his palm. It was her turn to laugh and she graciously took the egg, admiring the pretty watercolors. She hugged Bunny, thanking him for the gift. He hugged her back and picked her up, walking to the mother. The woman smiled and nodded to him, and he smiled too, grateful for this turn of events. He handed Sophie to her mother. "Alright ya little ankle-biters, start huntin'! Catch 'em before they run!" Bunny shouted, and all the kids cheered, off to look for eggs in the city. Next time, they'd do this in the forest.

"Great job, Bunny." Jack flew up to his mate and kissed him.

"Thanks, Jack." Bunny embraced him. "Thank you for this holiday. Without you, the humans and the Pookas would have never gotten along." He looked out, seeing Pookan children playing with human children and human adults talking with Pookan adults. It was like a dream.

"If I hadn't met you, none of this would have happened." Jack smiled. "I love you so much."

"I love you too, Frostbite." Bunny kissed his true love again as the Moon smiled down at them. "Happy Easter."

THE END

:::

**A/N**: Hello, my sweet little peach cakes! This is finally the end of the Ice Curse series, OR IS IT? For my AO3 readers, there's one more chapter left, a bonus sex chapter. For my FF readers, it is the end unless you go to AO3. So do that. Also, news for my FF readers who care: I put a romantic Naruto one-shot on AO3. It's called 'Love Genius' and the pairing is Gai/Kakashi, because they belong together, duh. In case you forgot why I can't post sex on FF anymore, it's because I was punished for doing so. Some asshole ratted me out, and apparently, after many years of posting porn on FF, I was suddenly not allowed and penalized by the FF editors, and they're probably watching me like a hawk, now. Also, in case anyone forgot, my FF username is **Mistress Taru** and my AO3 username is **fieryhotaru**. Many thanks to people who've supported this series and my others. Love love love to all,

Taru-chan


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